Scarred Hatred, Tainted Blood
by Elryne
Summary: Deep-seated rancor has been winning over for the past decades. Time has marred their past, and only time itself could mend the scars of what is, and has been.
1. Chapter 1: Imprisonment

Chapter I

Imprisonment

…

Outside, Saya and Solomon were engaged in a sword fight. Saya headed for Solomon, attempting to strike him but Solomon easily blocked it. For a long time Saya had tried again and again to try and strike or impale him however Solomon was able to block and avoid each hit she delivered. The two exchanged powerful blows while Diva watched them in amusement from a safe distance.

She swung her sword at Solomon but again, Solomon countered it. The force he used was so strong that it broke off the tip of the blade Saya was wielding, sending it flying at a far distance. It landed on the ground, a few inches away from Diva's feet.

Saya was panthing heavily, unable to catch her breath. She paused, already worn out from the battle while Solomon stood before her looking fine, as if he never got into a fight in the first place.

"That's enough, isn't it, Saya? There's no reason to fight anymore," Solomon said in his calm, controlled voice. He was extending his hand to her, inviting her, urging her to cease the fight and join them instead. Yes, to him, the battle between Saya and Diva, the two Queens, the only two beings connected by blood, was utterly meaningless. "Now come with us…"

Saya gave him an unsure, bewildered look. She stared at his hand, her face filled with confusion. For a moment, she seemed as though she would join them. Wordlessly, Saya slashed at his hand instead, creating a long cut across his skin. That act alone already indicated that she refused to come along.

Diva erupted into wild, childish laughter. She pointed at him and cried out, "Solomon got rejected!" Solomon merely stared at his hand, his expression unchanged, as the wound healed instantly.

Saya's muscles were aching badly and she felt extremely weak. But despite that, she did not want to yield to Solomon, even when his offer was so tempting. The thought of stopping this fight, not having to go against Diva, her only sister, her only real family, was a dream come true. But then everyone was depending on her, her friends, her family. She was the only hope for humanity. And seeing what Diva had done to Riku...feeding on him, almost killing him was enough to make her blood boil.

But then suddenly, Saya's breath caught. All the remaining strength she still had drained away so unexpectedly, she could hardly understand what had happened. She legs felt weak and she fell to her knees. The red glow in her eyes quickly faded as well and she lost her fighting instincts. "What's going on?" she asked herself, shocked. The pain within her body made her stumble to the grass and she curled on the ground, lying helplessly before both Diva and Solomon.

Diva giggled. "You don't have enough blood, sister." Saya could hardly understand what Diva was saying to her. "It's a smorgasbord all around you, too."

"I'm different from you…" Saya struggled to say. She couldn't breathe. Her body could not move as well, it was as if she were bound by invisible chains. Her mind was hazy….she could barely even think straight. The world around her seemed to crumble and waver before her.

"No; we're the same…" those were the final words Saya heard before everything went black.

…

_Images whirled around her. She could see each and everyone of her friends and family and everyone else she had been fighting for in her still unconscious mind. Light from nowhere suddenly filled her eyes. She blinked._

"_Saya!" a familiar voice called to her. She spun her head around. At a distance, her father, George, stood, waving his arms to her. Beside him Riku was doing the same._

"_Saya nee-chan!" he said happily._

"_C'mon, Saya. We're going on a trip together." Kai placed his hands on his hips, a relaxed and friendly expression on his face. He beckoned to her._

_Saya nodded and ran to them. She was so happy. This had never happened befor and yet right now, she was experiencing it. _

_But something was wrong. No matter how fast Saya tried to approach them, the family before her still remained at a far distance. She tried to run harder, faster. But nothing changed. They were starting to fade in the darkness._

"_Saya, hurry up or we're leaving you," Kai said nonchalantly. _

"_Saya nee-chan's so slow!" Riku said in his childish voice. Both vanished._

"_W-wait! Wait for me!" Saya cried after them. She held out her hand before the last fading figure before her._

"_Saya…" George said softly. He disappeared as well._

"_No! Wait! Please… Please wait for me! Don't leave me behind…"_

_Her sobs echoed in the emptiness._

…

Saya slowly opened her eyes. Everything was dark. She blinked. Once. Twice. Was this a dream? She could hardly tell. Reality seemed to be no more than a delusion to her. She was lying on the cobblestoned floor. She sat up weakly in a sitting position. There was a soft tinkling in the air. Chains? Saya looked down and realized her wrist and feet were shackled. She was chained to the wall. At the far end was a small, bright torch, which was her only source of light. The light cast long shadows across the floor. The eerie darkness around her frightened her.

Was this another dream? Saya grimaced. Her whole body was aching terribly. No, it wasn't a dream. In dreams, nothing hurt. Even if she were slapped directly on the face, shot by a gun, stabbed through the heart, or left to bleed to death in the forgotten shadows, it never hurt. But in here everything felt so real. The pain felt so real. So this wasn't a dream after all…

Saya blinked again as her eyes tried to adjust to the dim light. Where was she? She was confused. She tried to recall the past events. But her mind was so cloudy, she could hardly think of much. Nothing came to her. She wiped a tear that had rolled down her pale cheek. Was she crying? She felt so sad. Then she recalled her dream. But it was so blurry. All she could remember was the somber expression of her father before he disappeared.

Before she knew it, a few drops of tears fell on the cold, hard ground. She was crying. She just woke up from a dream in a cold, dark dungeon and now she was crying. That was all she could do. Cry like a weakling. Cry when she was upset.

There were footsteps outside. Saya grew alarmed. Quickly, she wiped her tears dry and sniffed before the large iron door at the far end just below the side of the torch opened. The stranger approached her slowly. Saya merely stared at the person before her. She could hardly make out the man's face from the shadows.

"I see you're awake now," the man said in his dull voice.

Saya blinked. She said nothing.

The man stared at her, as if he were studying an interesting specimen. Saya stiffened under his gaze. It was only a few moments before he glanced back at his shoulder.

"I've brought you a special guest," he said, his features brightening slightly.

"Hi," Diva's head popped out from the man's side.

_Diva!_ Saya was caught by surprise.

"It's good you're awake now," Diva said, stepping out completely from behind the man. "You were enjoying your sleep so much I just wanted to smack you to wake you up."

_Enjoying? _"What am I doing here? Why am I chained?" Saya demanded.

Diva smiled sweetly. "Why, I simply provided a home for you. Don't you like it? See? It's even nice, comfortable and dark, so you could have some privacy."

"Home?" Saya repeated harshly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Diva replied flatly. Her voice grew into a more satiric tone. "Killing you would have been a waste, even if you were completely defenseless. I figured I'd have my fun first."

"Release me at once!" Saya said angrily.

"Not going to happen," Diva replied, her voice now childish. Saya glared at her, her eyes instinctively turning blood-red. Diva ignored her reaction. Instead, she continued, "You see, I was locked for almost my entire life in that horrible tower. It's unfair if you don't go through the same torture, don't you think?"

"No! Let me out! _Now!_" Saya struggled and pulled at the chains. Normally, a human would barely be able to lift the shackles in the air because of the size and weight of the chains. But to Saya it hardly even mattered. And yet, despite that, she was unable to free herself. A look of bewilderment and irritation came across her face.

Diva giggled after seeing how Saya's efforts to free herself come to naught. "What's wrong, sister? Are the chains too difficult for you to handle?"

Saya glowered at her. Diva smirked as a response. "It's your turn to suffer isn't it, sister? You'll soon feel the pain of being left out with no one to care for you. While you lay here forgotten in the darkness, I'll be outside, singing and playing in the sun. It would just be like before. But it would be different, wouldn't it? While I'm happy and free, you are _not_!" The thought seemed to strike her as funny.

"You can't imprison me here forever. I'll escape sooner than you think," Saya warned.

"I know," Diva replied, as if what Saya said was already expected. "I have my children to watch over you so that would be no problem."

"That…that won't stop me." Saya's voice was laced with uneasiness. Even she was doubtful of her own capabilities.

"Yes it would," Diva argued.

"It will not…"

"It will."

It was no use arguing. Diva was toying with her. Saya knew she was offering Diva amusement even when she never intended to. The knowing made her hold her tongue.

Diva knew that she had won in the argument. It was not an argument technically, but to her it was. And she beat her sister, partly because Saya grew irritated. It was a simple thing that would hardly even matter but Diva found it otherwise.

"Well, whatever." She dismissed the matter, suddenly losing interest. "You won't escape anyway, even when you insist that you could. It's rather easy to say so than to do so." She turned to her grim chevalier who had been watching both she and Saya in silence. "I'm hungry, Amshel. I want you to get something worth eating."

"Of course, Diva," Amshel lowered his head, placing his hand over his chest.

"Let's go now."

Amshel proffered his arm formally. Instead of giving the proper response, Diva clung to him like a child. The old chevalier looked down on her with fondness. He and Diva headed for the door. Within moments, they had appeared by the entrance.

"Hey…" Saya called softly. She did not want to be left out. She did not want to stay in a dungeon in the darkness. She tried to reach out but the chains held her back.

The door opened. Diva and Amshel stepped out.

"Wait…" she was turning desperate now.

As the door closed, she saw Diva glance back at her, a smile beaming on her face. "Don't worry, sister. I will see you tomorrow."

The door shut tightly with enough force to give a heavy sound. Then there were a few footsteps which soon faded. Everything was silent.

Saya stared at the door, hoping that it would open and someone would come back to set her free. But nothing happened. She waited patiently. The seconds stretched into minutes and nothing stirred. Already, cramps were forming in her body. She moved and tried to shake it off.

Diva stepped outside into the sunlight. She and Amshel had left Saya in her prison cell and gone through a gloomy small corridor, then up the flight of stone steps until they reached the ground level. Diva stepped out and accidentally trod on Amshel's foot. Amshel said nothing, in fact did not even react. His queen made no attempt to apologize. After all, he was inferior to her.

Amshel pushed on the heavy metal gate, the very entrance to the dungeon. He was about to place a lock on the door when Diva said in a rather critical voice, "I decided to visit sister Saya everyday. There's no need to lock it. She can't get out however you see it."

"Of course," the ever-so-obedient chevalier responded, seeming as if he were at fault.

"Good." Diva skipped to the large blue house, not even caring about leaving her faithful chevalier behind. She suddenly stopped and turned to Amshel. "Hurry up and get my meal. I want young ones by the way." She said nothing more and headed to the house in an easy, lighthearted pace, humming her song.

Amshel watched Diva go. "My beloved queen…" he murmured and vanished within moments.

Diva entered the large house. Inside, she went around. Someone was seated on the sofa in the living room.

"Oh, Nathan. There you are." Diva headed to a man with blond hair wearing such rather girlish clothes, his purple suit revealing his chest.

"Hmm? What's wrong, my dear? Did you need anything?" the lax chevalier asked in a casual tone.

"No, not really. I already told Amshel to get my meal." She was already beside Nathan.

"I see." Nathan leaned back and peered at Diva with interest. "How has your sister been doing? Hopefully she's still alive."

"You care for sister more than me?" Diva inquired hastily, pouting.

"No, no. Of course not." Nathan smiled. "I was simply wondering."

"Oh. Good." The pout was replaced by a cheerful smile once more. "Sister Saya was already awake when Amshel and I paid her a visit."

"And?"

"She still seems okay. I plan to see her everyday. Isn't that great?"

"Why, yes. It is. It's wonderful. I never thought you would be so thoughtful."

"It's boring here anyway. There's nothing else to do."

"Which reminds me…" Nathan crossed his legs, placing his arm there and leaning his chin on his clenched fist. "I somehow recall that sort of setting. While you were locked away in that tower, Saya paid you visits. Am I not mistaken?"

"Yes. Exactly. It would be fun to use that setting, especially now that _she's _the one who's suffering."

"Ah, yes. It sounds exciting."

"'sounds'?" Diva repeated, giving him a piercing look.

"I mean, it _is_ exciting." A smile quirked on the corners of his mouth.

"Darn it!" Kai punched the wall. Pain shot through his arm but he ignored it. He leaned his hot forehead against the cool, concrete wall.

"_Kai…" David said grimly. His eyes were downcast._

"_What's happened to Riku? Will he be alright?" Kai got up from his seat at once. Hope was burning in his eyes._

"_I—your brother…" David began. _

_A chill ran up Kai's spine. His expression fell. He knew what David was going to say._

_David lowered his head respectfully. "Riku did not make it… Forgive me for bringing in such tragic news."_

"_No…it can't be." He stared unbelievingly at David. "Tell me you're lying! Tell me this is just a joke!" He held David's shoulders frantically. He tried to laugh it off. It was joke wasn't it? David was just trying to the life out of him, right? His smile still held little hope. "You're a good joker, David! That was funny!"_

_David stared at him, as if he had gone mad. "Stop it, Kai. I'm not joking. Riku is dead."_

_Kai's breath caught. His grip tightened on David's shoulders. _

He yelled in frustration. He did not care whether any of the Red Shield members would hear him or not. _Riku is dead! Dead! He's gone. He's dead! _His mind screamed. He bit his lower lip to prevent himself from sobbing. It did not work. Soon, tears streamed down his pale cheeks. He couldn't do anything to save his brother. All he could do was call out his name. That was all. And now, his family was gone. Saya was missing and Riku was dead.

He felt so useless and empty. He slumped against the wall and sank to his knees. Saya was his only family now. He had to go find her. But he felt so lonely without Riku by his side. How could he look for Saya now?

"Haji…" Kai muttered under his breath.

_So that's all—for now. This is my first story and I did my best to make this work presentable so I hoped you guys liked it at the very least._

_Well, I'm not so good with stories but hey, I was inspired—in one way or another. And I guess my way of writing wouldn't be really one-sided so that everyone could get a fair part. And, uh, forgive me if this first chapter wasn't so entertaining. Especially with the Kai part. Or maybe everything's boring. Oh well. Who cares?_

_Anyhow, please feel free to give your opinions and comments._


	2. Chapter 2: Misunderstanding

_I'm terribly sorry if it took me a while before I could update. And I'm glad there are people (despite being few) who like it. So please read and review!_

* * *

Chapter II

Misunderstanding

Saya looked around blearily. Her eyes were then accustomed to the darkness around her. Despite the dim light, she could see quite clearly. She tried to shake off her sleepiness and surveyed her surroundings. Her head hurt. She tried to think straight.

_There seems to be no exit, _she thought. True enough, there were no holes or cracks in her prison cell. The place was intact. She did not even have a window of some sort. Nothing.

_If that's the case… _she continued her mind registering. _Then my only hope is through…there. _Her eyes fell on the metal gate. She tried to stand. She could only get on her knees before the chains tugged on her. The gate was only a few feet away. But the chains were too short.

She searched desperately for some sort of tool, any tool that could help in her escape. Not even a stone was seen. She had nothing else with her either. _What now? _She thought hard. All the plans that she was able to come up with seemed far too impossible for her to achieve. But she was still determined to set herself free. _I won't give up, not when everyone else is depending on me, _she told herself.

_Everyone… I wonder what they're doing right now. Are they making plans on how to get me back? _She could imagine David and all the rest of the Red Shield forming plans on how to retrieve her. _Kai…and Riku. _She suddenly remembered what had happened to Riku. _Riku! I wish he were okay. Wait. Of course he'll be okay. Kai was there, right? Kai, David and Lewis… They were able to save him, right? Diva may have drunk a lot of his blood, but it's not possible that… _Dread clutched her stomach. She shook the horrible thought away. She then recalled yet another person.

_Haji… _

_Solomon was fighting him and…then I didn't see him when Solomon was present. Haji wasn't there. He could be hurt that time…that's why… He can't possibly die. He just wasn't able to recover properly. _She had not realized that she was reasoning with herself. _Yes, that's right. But since he wasn't there to see them take me away… _Her heart faltered. _You idiot, _she told herself. _Of course he knows where I am. He can find me. I trust him. He'll find out where they locked me sooner than I could expect. Besides, Kai and the rest could help him. So I can get out of here in no time. _Doubt still lingered in her thoughts. _Hopefully…_

Saya felt someone's presence. And she already knew who it was, now that she was fully awake. _Diva._

The gate opened. The stranger approached her, haughtiness accompanying every step she took toward Saya.

Saya stared coldly up at the younger queen.

"What's with the look, sister?" Diva asked innocently. The malice in her eyes betrayed her.

"Why did you still have to come here?" Saya asked roughly.

Diva frowned. "I came here in this filthy place just to see you and this is what I get in return? You're so cruel, onee-chan."

"Cruel?" Saya sneered. "I'd be better off not seeing you. In fact, it's best that you leave me here without ever returning!"

A melancholy look came across Diva's face. But Saya could still see a small smile of amusement. "You don't wish to see me?"

"Cut the act," Saya snapped, irritated. "You only want to see me suffer, right? So stop those fake sentiments because it only makes me feel worse."

"Dearest Saya," Diva began, her eyes bright with malice. "I merely wished to return the favor you showed me from years ago."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember? You always visited me when I was still locked away in the tower by that stupid human, Joel. Everyday, even if you had to waste your 'precious' time, you came to me to brag about your happy life. And now, I'm doing the same thing."

"I'd appreciate it if you _never_ even bothered to do so," Saya stated dryly.

"But I want to," Diva replied.

Saya said nothing. Again, it was no use. Diva would torment her as long as she was kept prisoner. She had to bear with it.

Diva leaned closer. Saya moved back at once, her face hardening in irritation.

"What's wrong, onee-chan? Are you afraid of me?" Diva asked.

"No," Saya replied.

"Then you still wouldn't be afraid even if I would kill you?"

Fear reflected in Saya's eyes. The question caught her off-guard and even frightened her. It was not a light matter. She could vaguely sense threat lingering in Diva's voice and she was well-aware that Diva was capable of killing her if she felt like it.

Instead of answering, Saya averted her gaze, silenced by the direct question.

Diva giggled. "Don't worry, sister. I won't kill you. Well, at least not _yet_."

Saya held her tongue for a moment but dared asked, "What exactly do you want from me?"

"Your life," Diva replied cheerfully. "But more importantly, I want you to feel what it is like to lay forgotten in the shadows. It was so unfair that _you _were the only one they treated as a human. The only one who was happy. I envied you so much that time. But not anymore. I am glad now that I wasn't raised to be naïve and stupid. To be surrounded by false friends and a false family…"

"They are _not_ false!" Saya asserted.

"Aren't they?" Diva challenged. "What makes you think that you are one of them?"

"They accepted me, even when they knew the truth. We were connected by love. I didn't have to be related to them to be a part of them."

"How foolish," Diva mocked. "It is no wonder why you are almost like them. Keeping you here was a good plan after all. Maybe you'd realize your mistakes."

"I have no mistakes," Saya answered, almost confidently. "And I will never regret being one of them."

"Then that is why I will keep you here. Stupid girl. If you will go through the pain like I did and suffer just as much as me, maybe you'll understand. Maybe you would be able to understand me as much as those stupid humans." The sardonic way of speaking Diva had already infuriated Saya. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Do all you wish to do," she dared.

"Then I will," Diva responded. "Or maybe I should kill you now so I wouldn't be bothered with visiting you."

"Kill me then."

"No." Diva turned away. "It will not prove anything. You'll soon come to understand, won't you?" A sly smile danced upon her lips.

"It won't do anything. It won't prove anything to me. I already know who you are and what you are."

"Oh? Really, now. How selfish… So you don't know me after all…"

Right at that moment, Saya sensed a twinge of pain. She glanced back up at Diva curiously. Diva's back was turned against her.

"It's boring here…" Diva said finally. She appeared suddenly by the metal door and stepped out wordlessly. Saya blinked. The door was already closed.

Silence dominated the area.

Saya's mind was filled with numerous thoughts, most of which came from the 'conversation' minutes ago. _"It was so unfair that _you _were the only one they treated as a human. The only one who was happy. I envied you so much that time," _Diva's voice echoed in her head. "_If you will go through the pain like I did and suffer just as much as me, maybe you'll understand. Maybe you would be able to understand me as much as those stupid humans."_

Saya was lost in thought. She couldn't understand. Diva was so annoying, so cold and heartless. She _hated _her. But why did she feel so different now? Why did she feel empty? It confused her, made her wonder. Diva was a selfish girl who fed on humans, who drank Riku's life almost entirely, who drove her mad with anger. But she felt no anger then. The burning hatred had suddenly drained off within those moments.

"_So you don't know me after all…" _That was the last thing Diva said before taking her leave. The mere words already indicated a hidden emotion.

Saya stared down blankly at her hands. "Diva…"

Diva stepped out into the sun. Strangely, she felt weak. She felt weak from her emotions.

"Oh my. You seem pale, my dear," a voice suddenly said.

"Don't push it," Diva snapped, leaving Nathan behind to watch her.

"Goodness," Nathan sighed. "I wasn't really referring to her complexion, was I?" He smirked. "She does seem a bit paler."

Diva stomped right into the house. She was angry, no, _furious. _Minutes ago she was already enjoying her time with Saya. To see pure hatred burning in Saya's eyes, it was simply a marvelous sight. But then, she unwittingly was too carried away. No, it wasn't right. She was capable of manipulating the whole situation. But she had said too much. She had released, somehow, her feelings in such a painful way. It was confusing, and worse yet, frustrating. True, she was able to hide those feelings behind her contemptuous way of speaking; however, she could sense a different reaction from Saya. She wanted to anger her, make those burning flames of hatred, bigger. But it didn't go that way. It was that way but it didn't _seem _that way.

A lump filled her throat. She pushed the thought away, but couldn't help shake violently.

"Diva," a calm, soothing voice called. Diva spun around.

"Solomon…"

"What happened? You seem a little…ill," Solomon continued. He was right before her.

"It's nothing worth speaking about," Diva snapped, but not too angrily.

"But you seem so troubled. Tell me, please, the vile cause of your illness."

"And if I said that it was Saya, what would you do?"

Solomon could not give a reply.

"You care for her, too, don't you?" Diva said in accusation.

"I care for her, of course, since she is another queen, your sister. But I will always place you above her." Solomon may have spoken in quite a truthful manner, yet Diva began to doubt him.

"Is there anything you need, Diva?" Solomon had changed the question.

"No," Diva said coldly. "I don't desire anything, as of the moment."

"Is there nothing I could do to contribute to your better recovery?" Solomon may have seemed concerned. Diva, however, did not see it that way.

"I don't need you to do anything," she replied curtly and left.

Solomon watched Diva leave. It didn't take too long before the young queen blurred out of sight and disappeared. He sighed heavily. _Did something happen between her and Saya? I never saw her this angry…and hurt._

"You seem a bit dejected, my dear Solomon," Nathan observed, leaning back on the sofa.

"Diva feels different. I don't think that was the real her," Solomon replied, not even bothering to consider how unexpected Nathan's presence was.

"Oh, come now. How can you ever say that? Our most beloved mother would always be our mother," Nathan said, matter-of-factly.

"That's not what I meant,'' Solomon responded flatly.

Nathan smiled, amused. "Of course, I understood what you tried to point out. I was just fooling around."

Solomon's face was expressionless.

"Sourpuss," Nathan teased playfully.

Solomon fixed a cold stare at him.

"I speak in jest," Nathan said lightheartedly. "Anyway, yes, I also noticed a different attitude in her. I know that all of us brothers are used to Diva's mood. But this is utterly queer."

"She says Saya is the cause of her ill mood," Solomon said.

"I could see how _that _could be a reasonable explanation."

"Yes, perhaps. But it seems to be deeper, emotional conflict, don't you think?"

"Yes," Nathan agreed. "It may well be that way."

"Do you ever think they would manage to cease the fight between them? They're sisters, aren't they? And yet, ironically, they live as sworn enemies to each other."

"Ah, those are theirs to decide. But judging by the circumstances, I don't think they will."

"Can we not do anything?"

"We are chevaliers, Solomon. They are our queens. I'm afraid we cannot partake of this fight." He paused. He had interested expression on his face. "On the contrary, I would like to see how this play unfolds for those two."

Haji surveyed his surroundings carefully. He was on top of the highest building, watching all the things that were taking place below. A small breeze blew by. It was getting dark. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the area.

He thought of the past events. _Solomon kicked forcefully, sending him to slam against the rock-wall. Before he could even get to his feet, the large pile of rocks came crashing on him._ When Haji was able to recover, he returned to the tower. But it was too late. David told him that Saya was taken away by Solomon and Diva. He went to look for them, but was only able to recover a sword with its tip broken, a few feet away.

_Saya_… Where was she? He had been going around the city and forests everyday, never idling or wasting a moment. He had been restlessly searching for her and yet, he was unable to get a single clue or track down the very people who took Saya away. He did not want to give up.

"I promise you, Saya, I _will _search for you no matter how long it takes. Even if I have to search for an eternity, I will not give up," Haji murmured. He looked up at the darkening sky and saw a small star shining."So please, Saya. Please don't give up as well. Please stay strong no matter what because then I'll come."

"What do you mean you still can't find Saya?" Kai demanded.

"Kai, please calm down," David said seriously.

"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down if _they _have her? What do you think could they do to Saya?" Kai shot back.

"I am well aware of that, Kai. We all are," David said mildly. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair. "We've been trying to track Saya down and any of the people who took her. Haji has been searching, too, and yet we still can't get a single trace of Saya."

"And your point here is?"

"We are too preoccupied by this mission. The Red Shield has received various reports over the suspicion of Delta 67 being used here and in other places. More chiropterans are at sight. We can't just wait here forever, focused only on how to retrieve Saya," Lewis continued for David.

"What are you trying to imply?" Kai asked. "That Saya can not be found and that the mission assigned in getting her back is only a distraction from your other oh-so-important missions? Is that it?"

"I did not want it to seem that way…" David said.

"Isn't Saya the most important person in the Red Shield? She's the only person who can kill the chiroptera and Diva, right? So why are you setting her aside so easily?"

"We are not setting her aside, Kai," Lewis said calmly.

"What then?"

"Are main priority here is Saya. However, that gives no reason for us to turn away from other responsibilities—"

"So what now?" Kai cut quickly.

"We decided on separating. You and Haji are to retrieve Saya while Lewis, Julia and I are to investigate on the recent activities the Cinque Fleche has been involved in."

"But how—" Kai started to protest.

David cut him short. "Haji is a chevalier. Always remember that. He is capable of things a human can't do. " He and Lewis glanced over at the corner. Kai followed their gaze and saw Haji leaning quietly against the wall. Haji had been watching and listening the whole time without him himself getting involved.

"That's not what I meant," Kai grumbled.

"And I can place some of the Red Shield members under your control," Lewis added with a grin. "With permission from Joel, of course."

"What?" Kai started to complain. "I don't need other distractions."

"I wouldn't have to mean that they would join you in the mission itself. It's up to you and Haji to decide. Whenever you require of their help, they will do all they can to assist you," Lewis explained patiently. "Now do you understand?"

"Oh."

"But of course," Lewis continued. "We, too, shall join this little looking-for-the-lost-puppy—err, Saya—game." Davis threw him a deadly look. Lewis shrugged. "What? I was just having my fun."

"Anyway," David cleared his throat. "As Lewis had said, we shall also join the mission."

"You told me earlier you guys had some other missions to accomplish," Kai pointed out, slightly confused.

"But we never said we'd no longer 'participate'," Lewis replied.

"As of the moment, Saya and her captors still have to be searched," David explained further. "This task does not necessarily require a large group, which is why you and Haji are left to do this. And while you try to accomplish this, we shall investigate further on the schemes Cinque Fleche is putting up with.

And when you do find Saya, we will have to be informed immediately so that we too could help retrieve her for I think this mission shall be one of the hardest to accomplish since we may or may not be dealing Diva and her chevalier directly. With this sort of plan, we could save time and energy."

Kai was sitting back smugly. "Sounds good enough." He had finally gotten a grip on himself.

"Now you had a little sense to make you agree with us, eh?" Lewis said with smile.

Kai forced a smile. "Quite."

Diva came again the next day, though her face was not the usual, cheerful expression.

"I went to check on you, to see if you're still alive," she said. "Unfortunately, you still are."

This time, Saya did not react angrily. "If you want me dead, you are free to kill me."

"You can't tell me what to do, onee-chan. That's why I won't kill you. Not unless I feel like it."

"Will you ever reach that time when you are fed up with me?"

A small smile of amusement quirked at the corner of Diva's lips. "Perhaps it will take me a long time." She turned away and in a blink of an eye, was by the door.

"I…" Saya hesitated. "I'm sorry…"

Diva stopped for a moment, surprised. She quickly recovered and said nothing and left without glancing back at he person who was starting to feel remorse over what she had done.

Diva thought about Saya's words as she sat leisurely on the sofa. _"I'm sorry…"_ Saya's voice echoed in her mind. She shook her head, disgusted with the sudden warmth she felt just thinking about it. _Stupid girl, trying to make me feel so pitiful… _she thought irritably. She remembered the sad, sympathetic look on her face, the eyes that were filled with pain. _That wretched girl thinks she can trick me. Ha! What a joke. I'll show her…_

"Is something the matter, my dear?" Nathan inquired curiously. "You seem a bit disturbed."

"It's none of your business," Diva deadpanned.

"My goodness," Nathan sighed. "Have it your way…" he stood up and left abruptly.

Diva was indignant when Nathan suddenly left her alone. "Whatever. Like he would care at all…or even understand what I have to deal with…"

* * *

_Some parts are awfully lame, I admit. Especially with the part wherein David said they had some other missions to fulfill. I just made this up (obviously) but I hope it wouldn't spoil the story. And is 'Cinque Fleche' the correct spelling? _

_And anyways, I can't promise a good plot and I know I can't fill some people's expectations but I could assure you that I will do all I can to make this enjoyable._

_As I said earlier, please review so I could get some helpful suggestions._


	3. Chapter 3: Oath

_Did I take too long? I'm sorry again. And I hope you'd enjoy, or at least find this chapter worthwhile._

* * *

Chapter III

Oath

Hunger tore mercilessly at her innards. Her stomach growled hungrily, begging her to fill it with food. Saya leaned weakly on the wall. No one came to see her for three days. But to her, it seemed like a week. She had lost track of time. She didn't even know if it was daylight or nighttime.

She clutched her stomach. It was only then that she had experienced such sheer need to eat. Nothing else existed in her mind but food. She tried to imagine all the delicious things she ate. But that did not improve her condition.

Footsteps echoed outside. Saya grew alert and listened harder. There was another sound aside from the footsteps. She heard small indignant cries and groans. The door opened. Amshel stepped inside the prison cell. He held a girl in his arms.

"I said let me go!" the girl cried, struggling violently to free herself from Amshel's tight grasp. Her efforts to break away were hardly even noticed by the chevalier.

Saya watched them in wonder, unconsciously cocking her head to one side. She said nothing. Her hunger was easily overtaken by bewilderment.

Amshel pulled the girl with him as he advanced toward Saya, ignoring the girl's constant struggles. "Diva told me to bring this little gift to you," he told her as soon as he was close enough to Saya.

"'Little gift'?" the girl repeated, more in indignation than wonder. "What the hell are you saying?"

Saya just stared at the girl, now realizing that proud countenance, and the long, brown hair. She strained to study the girl more closely, still not believing who she saw before her. But it was true, the person standing infront of her. "Mao…?"

The girl, recognizing the voice at once, looked back at Saya, whom she barely even noticed earlier. "Saya? Is that you?" she said in surprise.

"I see you two know each other," Amshel observed. He shoved Mao forward.

"Hey! Watch it, you son of a—"

As soon as they reached the spot next to Saya, Amshel quickly fastened shackles around Mao's wrists.

"What in the world are you doing? Stop it!" Mao tried to pull away, but Amshel held her firmly, even hurting her as he did. He knelt and was about to shackle her feet as well but Mao quickly kicked him. Amshel caught her foot before it struck his head and pulled her, causing her to fall flat on her bottom.

"Oww… that hurt, you imbecile!" Mao cried furiously. She tried to kick him again with her other foot, but it was shackled not any sooner.

Amshel stood up as soon as Mao was successfully chained alongside Saya. Without saying anything else, he turned to leave.

"You're fortunate that Diva still gives some thought about you," he said in a low voice that seemed to hold threat. "Do savor this meal she has provided for it will make her heart rejoice."

He paused. "And besides…" he turned his head a bit to her. "This may be the only supper you can feast on."

He walked calmly away and headed for the door.

"What do you mean? What the heck are you saying?" Mao demanded. "Hey—! Where the heck are you going? You can't just leave us here! Listen to me, you moron!"

Amshel stepped out and was about to close the door. "Enjoy." A wry smile danced on his lips. The door closed heavily.

"You idiot! Don't think you could just leave us here! Once I'll get out, I—I'll…just you wait 'till I get my hands on you!" Mao yelled furiously after him.

"It's no use, Mao. He won't come back," Saya said quietly. For once, Mao did grow silent and faced her.

"Saya…" she began. She studied her closely. "What did they do to you?"

"Not much, I guess…"

"'Not much'? Look at yourself! You're so thin and dirty that Kai—" she stopped. "Wait. You were here all along? I thought Kai was with you. How did you end up being _imprisoned _here? And who the hell was that creep a while ago?"

"Mao…" Saya said weakly. "Mao, it's quite a long story, you see…"

Mao easily understood what Saya had wanted to say. "Oh. I'm sorry. You were reduced to such a weakened state that it must tire you to speak. I was just shocked. An hour ago I was just shopping and now…"

"How did you end up here?" Saya inquired.

"This good-looking person with blond hair just approached me while I was looking around. He said that someone wanted to see me on short notice—"

"And you believed him?"

"Well, yeah. I was distracted a bit by his good looks," Mao admitted, feeling foolish. "But I _swear _ I shouldn't have been." She paused. "But I guess it's a good thing at the same time because now I found you."

"No," Saya said anxiously. "You don't understand. You should not be here."

"What are you saying?" Mao said, bewildered and taken aback by Saya's words. "I'm here with you. Shouldn't you feel a bit happy that I'm here?"

"That's not what I wanted to say..." Saya's stomach suddenly grumbled.

"What then?"

"You can't…you can't stay here." There was a wonderful scent that unexpectedly filled her nostrils, though vague.

"Huh? No. You're not answering the question, I mean…" Mao's words were drowned by the loud heartbeat ringing in Saya's ears.

Saya could no longer hear what Mao was saying. The only thing she heard were the heartbeats. She could practically here the blood rushing through the large vein in Mao's neck. She was completely unaware that she was staring intently at it, almost as if she could taste that red fluid, as if she could drink it and savor the delightful taste.

"Saya?" Mao said. Her voice seemed so far away, like a faint echo.

Saya continued to stare wistfully at that bare part, pulsing with so much blood, her lips slightly parted. She had a sudden impulse to knock Mao down and…

"Saya? Saya, what's wrong?" It took a few moments before Saya could get a hold on her senses. She shook her head, as if to clear herself from the staring and looked at Mao.

"You weren't listening to me, you know that?" Mao said.

"I'm sorry," Saya said, slightly embarrassed. "I was just a bit…distracted."

"You sure were," Mao agreed. "As I was saying…" the loud thumping filled Saya's ears again. Mao was still talking but she could not hear anything all except for the loud rush of blood flowing through that one part where it was soft and warm and easy to sink her fangs in…

Saya shook her head and suddenly everything went back to normal. "…and now I'm suddenly stuck here with you in this prison or dungeon or whatever you call it. No offense, 'kay? I was just saying." Mao did not seem to notice Saya's reaction moments ago.

Mao and Saya conversed for some time. While Mao was busy saying everything she wanted to say, Saya was fighting down the urge to feed. Mao was, after all, vulnerable and though Saya was in a weakened state, she was still stronger than her. The chiropteran instincts were telling her to feed on this weakling human, this _prey. _But her human conscience fought back with equal impact and Saya was caught in such a dilemma.

"Saya, are you really sure that you're okay? You look uncomfortable. Are they even giving you enough nourishment?" Mao said, concerned.

"I'm okay, Mao. Really, I am," Saya said assuringly, forcing a smile.

"You know, I had it with that fake smile of yours," Mao said, frowning. "You better tell me the truth. You're lying, aren't you? They haven't been giving much food to you, have they?"

"Mao, it's okay. I—"

"Those numbskulls. I'd call the police—hey wait. That's it!" Mao brightened.

"What's wrong?" Saya asked, puzzled.

"I am such an idiot!" Mao said, smacking her forehead with her palm. "I should have thought. Duh. I had my cell phone all along!" She brought it out from a pocket.

"Cellphone? Then you can contact them, right?"

"Of course. Ha. That stupid moron didn't even think of taking it away. Now, I'm just going to have to know who to call. Kai, perhaps?"

"Uh, Mao. Do you even know Kai's number?" Saya inquired.

The question struck Mao for a moment and she rubbed her temples. "You know, I feel I'm losing hope suddenly."

"Sorry," Saya apologized.

"It's okay. Hey, I know. I can contact that blockhead, Okamura." Mao started to sort through the contacts list.

"Okamura? Who's that?"

"A journalist who I happened to be with. He was after you guys that's why I teamed up with him." Mao placed the cell phone in her ear. Saya watched her in silence, hoping that someone would answer the call.

A few seconds passed. "Darn it. Answer the cell phone," Mao muttered impatiently.

"Hello?" a voice suddenly came through the cell phone.

"Okamura? Is that you?"

"Who else?" Okamura replied nonchalantly. "Hey, anyways, I'll tell you something good. I found them."

"Who?"

"Why, the boy. Kai, was it? And his other companions. I believe Lewis and David and Julia and Haji were there names."

Mao's heart beat rapidly with excitement and her eyes widened when she heard Kai being mentioned. But she tried to hold down her happiness, at least for now. It wasn't the right time to rejoice.

"Tell me, have they been looking for Saya?"

"Saya? Saya Otinashi?" Okamura was surprised. "How did you know?"

"I'm with her right now. We're imprisoned in this dungeon or whatever you call it."

"What? How?"

""I don't know. I was kidnapped and brought here. It seems she has been kept here for some time now."

"Wait. Hold on a sec. I have to tell the rest here." There was a short moment of silence and she could hear some things from the other end of the line.

"Mao," a familiar voice suddenly came through the cell phone. "Mao, is that you?"

"Kai?"

"Is Saya really with you?" Kai's voice was brimming with hope.

"Yes. She's with me right now."

"Can I talk to her?"

Mao felt bad. It seemed that Kai was only concerned about Saya. Without revealing her emotions, she said, "Sure. Hold on for a while." She turned to Saya. "Here."

Saya stared at the cell phone curiously. "Who's that?"

"Kai. He badly wants to talk to you."

Saya's face beamed. "Really? It's him?" Mao nodded. Saya unhesitatingly reached for the cell phone and placed it on her ear. "Kai?"

"Saya! Are you okay? We've been looking for you for weeks." Kai's voice went bursting through the 'phone with concern.

"I'm fine, Kai," Saya replied calmly. "How is everyone there?"

"We're all busy in search of you. David and the rest are investigating on other matters as of the moment." There was a pause. "Haji is okay, too. And he's worried sick, even when he tries to hide it."

"He is?" Saya's grip tightened. "I see. How about Riku?"

There was a deadly pause. Saya's heart faltered.

"He didn't make it," Kai said in painful slowness.

"Oh." That was all that she could say.

Silence took over for a while.

"Saya, we need you here. Chiropteran sightings are growing dangerously high. We can't fight, not without you," Kai said, deviating from the previous topic.

"I know."

"Where are you? No matter how hard we try to look for you, we can't find you. Even Haji is at difficulty."

"I don't even know… I can't remember anything," Saya began. "It's dark and cold here and Mao and I are chained to the wall. It seems like some sort of dungeon. I'm not sure, though."

"It_ is_ a dungeon," Mao corrected.

"You can't recall anything from outside there?"

"No."

"I did. Only a bit, though," Mao said, interrupting their conversation.

"Mao says she knows," Saya told her brother. Kai then instructed her to give the cell phone back to Mao. He and Mao talked over the phone and Mao told him how she was fooled and brought to the place where she currently was.

"It seems like a dungeon surrounded by trees," Mao explained further.

"It's not near some town or anything?" came the question.

"I hardly think so. It's somewhat 'isolated', if you know what I mean."

"It must be in some sort of forest, then," Kai concluded. "Was it a long ride from the city?"

"I don't know. They placed this cloth over my mouth with this drug and I lost consciousness. I only woke up when they were bringing me to the dungeon. "

"I see, if that's the case—"

"Mao, I hear someone coming. End the call, _now!" _Saya said urgently.

Mao nodded to her. "Kai, I'm sorry if this is so sudden, but I hear someone coming. I'll call at another time. Bye—!" Before Kai could say anything, Mao ended the call. She hid it just before the door swung open.

"My, my," Diva said with obvious mockery as she approached them. Amshel was with her as usual. "Onee-chan is playing with her food. Aren't those considered to be rude?"

"There's nothing here that I see as food," Saya retorted.

"Nothing? Oh, stop it with the acting. Or do I have to point? There she is!" Diva pointed at Mao like a child pointing at her favorite toy.

A shiver ran down Mao's spine. _What are they talking about? Who is she? And why the hell is she pointing at me like that?_

"Don't be ridiculous," Saya said angrily.

"Is there something wrong with her?" In a moment, she was infront of Mao. Mao fell back, startled. Diva studied her for a few seconds and giggled. "She seems delicious enough to me." She appeared beside Amshel once more.

"I don't see her that way…" Saya forced those words out. Her stomach grumbled and she unconsciously held it.

"But aren't you hungry?" Diva asked innocently.

"Shut up!"

"Well, I was half-expecting that you'd eat her and I was half-expecting that you would leave her to rot. It would be a waste if you won't eat her. And you've been deprived of food for three days."

"I don't care. I am _not _going to do anything to her!"

"Hmm?" Diva looked at her curiously. "If that's the case then, sister, _I _will eat her."

The words caught her off-guard. "Y-you can't do that!"

"Why not?" Diva inquired cheerily. "You're not going to eat her anyway. And it would be a waste if we would leave her here."

"You can't! You have to let her go!"

"Let her go?" Diva repeated, surprised. Then she burst into cruel laughter. "Oh do stop it, sister! You're so funny, you know that?"

"I'm not making any jokes," Saya replied seriously.

Diva's laughter ended abruptly and her smile faded. "Do you honestly think I would let this meal go?"

"Please!" Saya pleaded. "You can't keep her here. Everyone's looking for her."

"And why should you care anyway?"

"Because she's my friend!"

"Another false associate?" Diva said scornfully. "Give me a break."

"You have to let her go! You just have to!" Saya insisted. "Please. I beg of you, let her go."

Diva watched her in amusement. "Tell me, then," she began in interest. "What would I gain if I were to release this meal?"

"I…" An idea shot through Saya's mind and she hesitated. But she had no other choice. "If you let Mao go, I'll stay here with you."

"What?" Diva burst out, laughing. "Stay here with me? You already _are _here!"

"I'll make no attempt to leave," Saya explained further.

"You can _never _leave even if you tried," Diva retorted.

"I'll stay here with you…" Saya repeated. "And I…I'll do whatever you say."

"Do whatever I say? You know how I am capable of manipulating you, yes?"

"But I will remain under your command willingly. Whatever you wish me to do, I'll do it…without question. I'll do whatever it takes to please you. I _swear _I will!"

Diva found the thought intriguing. "Saya-oneechan doing whatever I want and making no attempt to leave?" A sly smile danced on her lips. "If I release her, you will submit yourself to me?"

"Yes…" Saya ground the words out through clenched teeth.

"Saya, you can't…" Mao told her softly. "You can't stay here."

"I have to…for your sake, Mao." Saya gave a wry smile. "I don't want you to die here."

"Alright. Fine, sister. You win in this game,' Diva declared. "Amshel," she turned to her chevalier. "Release that girl and take her away."

"Of course, Diva." Amshel approached Mao and one by one, and unlocked the shackles that bound Mao's wrists and feet. Soon, she was completely free. He yanked her up and Mao was forced to stand.

Mao cast Saya a worried look. She tried to break free from Amshel's grasp but it was useless.

"Just tell them that I'm fine here. And greet everyone for me," Saya told her softly. There was a longing ache in her chest. She wanted to be set free and see her family and friends again. But she was left her, now bound by her own words of placing herself under Diva's command.

"No…" Mao wanted to go to her; however Amshel held her back and shoved her towards the door instead.

"I look forward to your service, dear sister," those were the last words Diva said before leaving with Amshel and Mao.

Silence engulfed the area. Saya stared at the floor. _I can't believe I did this… Why did I have to do this? _She shook her head. _At least Mao was spared. I wouldn't stand seeing her being…eaten… _her thoughts trailed off.

-ns-

"If you still value your life, please make no attempt to follow after us," Solomon told Mao calmly after dropping her infront of a large store. He drove off in his car afterwards. Mao stared after him.

_Wasn't that the guy who 'kidnapped' me? _Mao thought, staring after the car. It soon disappeared after turning to the right at a distance. She looked down on her clothes and realized she was dirty. Even her hair was a slight mess. Some people were looking at her. _Oh darn, _Mao thought while she was fixing her hair.

She headed to a place where there were less people around. There, she brought out her cell phone once more and called Okamura where she related all the past events to him, when Saya was left to be of service to the girl named Diva in exchange for her safety. Okamura was very much surprised, of course and had planned to fetch her. Mao, knowing the place and her location—fortunately—told Okamura so he could easily find her.

Mao held the cell phone in her hand. _Saya… she was imprisoned there…like an animal. _Her grip tightened. _Those mindless fools… how could they do such a thing? And that girl, Diva, she very much resembles Saya. Are they sisters?_

Mao looked up at the darkening sky. She did not realize that the sun was setting. _Saya… I'm sorry. I didn't want to be set free if you were to stay there. Why did you have to be this kind…and stupid? You don't deserve to stay there._

A car parked infront of her. The windows were opened, and the journalist waved to her. "Hey!" Okamura called.

Mao forced a smile, a thing she did not normally do to Okamura. _Saya, I swear we're going to get you back._

_

* * *

_

_I'm sorry if this chapter would seem a bit too hasty. I keep on apologizing, huh? I can't help it and I'm sorry if I keep on saying 'sorry'. It's just that I'm afraid I might disappoint the readers with the sudden events. I promise to make better chapters. _

_Well… I'm going nowhere with this. Reviews please! I really need encouragement. I want to know if I'm pleasing everyone. So…yeah. Review. Please review. Because I'm on the danger of stopping. And that isn't a joke. Seriously not a joke._

_And I forgot to mention that the "-ns-" thingy stands for a new setting. I don't want to confuse anyone.  
_


	4. Chapter 4: Submission

_Thanks for encouraging me. I was starting to lose sense in writing but you guys provided the encouragement I needed. Alrighty, then! I am once again inspired to continue this story._

_I kinda forgot to mention that "ns" could also mean another setting or another person's point-of-view. I think that POVs don't necessarily mean that the first person "I" should be used._

_

* * *

_

Chapter IV

Submission

"This is absurd! You can't possibly let her free with Diva!" James said. "That girl over there is Saya, the most dangerous enemy who can threaten Diva's life."

"I am well aware of that, James," Amshel replied calmly. "You need not remind me of it."

"How can you trust her? Do you really think that she would stay here willingly and not harm mother?"

"_This _is the reason why we are putting her under the test."

"This is nonsense! I don't see any use with this."

Amshel's eyes narrowed dangerously at James. "This was a command issued by Diva herself. Do you doubt the way of judgment of our queen?"

James was taken aback. "No, of course not!"

"Then it is best if you hold your tongue for the time being and see what Saya would do."

James could not say anything more. Instead of answering back, he clenched his fists and turned his gaze to the elder queen whom he saw as his mortal enemy.

-ns-

_Where is everyone? _Saya wondered, looking around. She was leaning comfortably against the tree in the soft grass. An hour ago, she was released and brought out in the sun by Amshel. Before she knew it, Amshel was gone and she was surrounded by trees. She made no attempt to look for him, though. Instead, she lay idly under the cool shade, unaware that two of Diva's chevaliers—Amshel himself and James—were watching over her. Solomon and Nathan were hidden from quite a distance, just in case.

Saya stood up weakly and surveyed her surroundings. A cool breeze blew by and she breathed the fresh air. Then she went over to some bushes, disappearing from her watchers' sight.

-ns-

"She's getting away!" James said in trepidation and was about to head for Saya but Amshel patiently held up his arm to stop him. "Don't you see what she's doing?" James said.

"Just wait and see," Amshel said mildly, not seeming the least alarmed. James grudgingly stepped back a bit and waited.

Saya was not seen for some time and James was loosing his patience. Soon, though, Saya appeared holding a small bouquet of flowers.

"James, you should observe things first before jumping into conclusions," Amshel stated mildly.

James grunted in response. "How long will this have to take?"

"As long as possible, until we can determine her true intentions."

"I already know her intentions the moment I lay my eyes on her."

"We shall wait and see if what you think is true."

_These flowers can lighten one's spirit_, Saya thought, taking in the sweet fragrance of the flowers. _To think that these grow here… _She looked around curiously. _Where is he? Did he leave me here on purpose? _She realized there was no fence or gate or anything to stop her from escaping.

"I could tell that she plans to escape," James observed. "What exactly are we going to do once she does so?"

"We catch her and bring her back in the dungeon. Or otherwise, Diva would slay her," Amshel replied.

"I'd rather she be killed by mother at once," James said.

_Seriously… _Saya thought. _No one's here. Does that mean…? No. That's far too impossible. Would they let me off so easily? I would hardly think so. _She sat down and leaned on the tree once more. _Is this a test? Are they trying to see if I would leave or not? They want to know if I am true to my words._

She went back to that scene when she swore she'd submit herself to Diva. What was the feeling back then when she said she'd stay to serve her younger sister? One side was resentful and regretted the decision. But another feeling was _willingness. _Willingness? How could she be willing enough to serve her sworn enemy? And yet, though the thought seemed absurd to her, she could not deny the truth.

She shook her head. "_Maybe you would be able to understand me as much as those stupid humans…" _Diva's voice echoed in her head.

"_Will you ever reach that time when you are fed up with me?"_

"_Perhaps it will take me a long time."_

In one way or another, Saya arrived in the conclusion that Diva wanted her to stay, not as a prisoner, but as her sister. It was the most unimaginable conclusion she could ever come up with, _and a stupid one at that, _she thought. Somehow, warmth seeped into her as she thought about her conclusion. She quickly dismissed the thought and tried to think of something else.

"And now she's sitting down thinking about something which I know is not right,' James said.

"She's lost in thought," Amshel observed.

Saya's stomach growled. _Oh that's right… _she thought. _I didn't even eat up to now. _She looked around. _Maybe there's some food around here. _Instead of attempting to escape, she went around looking for food. All throughout, James insisted that Saya was trying to escape.

_Not even a single scrap…_Saya thought, dismayed. It took her entirely an hour, or probably even longer to search for food. But to her disappointment, she could find nothing to ease her stomach. She settled back into her spot under the shade. Another breeze blew by. _Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a while, _she thought. When she did, within moments, she was fast asleep.

James strained his eyes. "Don't tell me she's…sleeping."

Amshel said nothing.

James turned to him. "What do we do now?"

"Wait."

"Wait?" James repeated.

"Is there a problem with that?" Amshel inquired.

"No," James answered quickly. "I just…thought I heard wrong."

Amshel lifted an eyebrow and watched the elder queen sleeping soundly under the tree, completely unconscious and vulnerable.

…

_Kai held out his hand to her. "Hey, c'mon. Let's go and have fun together."_

_Have fun? She looked up at him curiously. "But, Kai…" she began. "I…I'm not free. Not like you. I have to stay here."_

_Kai frowned. "Oh, right. I forgot. You're with Diva aren't you? Forget it, then." He turned to leave._

"_No, wait!" Saya got up to catch up with him. Something pulled on her. She looked down and realized her whole body was shackled with several, heavy loads of chains. At the other side, Diva stood, holding all the other end of the chains._

_Diva smiled sweetly. "You're going to stay here to serve me, sister Saya."_

"_But I have to tell Kai something," Saya insisted._

_Diva laughed. "You can't leave…" her voice lowered dangerously. "…and you never even will."_

…

Saya's eyes fluttered open. It was already getting dark. She drowsily sat up and looked around. Her stomach grumbled hungrily. She got unsteadily to her feet and started to walk without even knowing where she was headed to. _Where is everyone? _she wondered. _It's getting dark and cold out here. I have to search for some shelter. _As she continued to walk, certain thoughts entered her head. _I was to stay here, I swore that I would. But should do this? It's wrong. This is wrong. Why in the world am I still staying here when I could leave? But…at the same time, I feel that leaving would be…rude. _She stopped, surprised at her own thoughts. _Rude? No, this isn't right. _She rubbed her temples. _Nothing ever is right. Even my mind is getting twisted… what is this? What is this place turning me into? Even the people in it… _An image of Diva flashed in her mind. She quickly discarded the picture, shaking her head a bit and resumed walking.

The sky was dark, with a few streaks of light from the setting sun. Some stars started to appear and moon glowed brighter. Instead of coming across any convenient shelter, she seemed to have gone farther into the forest. _What in the world…? I'm lost._

"It is time for you to go back, Saya," a voice said behind her. Saya spun around.

"Amshel?" she said, surprised.

"Come. It is time for you to return," Amshel held out his hand formally. Beside him was a black American who refused to even look at her.

"'Return'? What are you saying?"

"Diva awaits you." Saya's heart faltered. She made no move to join them. Amshel's eyes narrowed dangerously at her. "Is something the matter?"

The question made no sense to Saya at first. But she soon understood and quickly shook her head. "No. It's just… Forget it." _It would be useless to even resist, _she thought. Reluctantly, she joined them.

They walked, though they were capable of using their chiropteran strength to travel faster…all except for Saya. No one spoke from the small group and though the two chevaliers did not care at the least, Saya was very much uncomfortable.

"Say…" she began, intending to start up a conversation, though it was not really her will to do so. "What is Diva doing right now?"

"I do not know," Amshel answered plainly. His companion refused to answer.

"Oh." She paused, thinking of another topic to come up with. "What does Diva usually do?"

"She sings to herself and plays with the toys I give her." The reply seemed no better than the other.

"How about her likes…and dislikes?" Amshel raised an eyebrow. "I mean, she must find something which amuses her, right?"

"Why do ask these questions?" Amshel asked.

"Well, I…" Saya thought quickly of an excuse. "I thought I should know since I'll be staying with her."

"She finds her own singing amusing," Amshel replied. "And she finds humans annoying and naïve, which they really are. It is reasonable enough for her to like them only because they are her food."

Saya looked down at the path they were taking. "I see…"

-ns-

"What took you so long? And I was so bored here, waiting for you to come home immediately," Diva whined.

"Forgive me, Diva," Amshel apologized, though his voice held no emotion. Behind him, Saya watched her intently. Diva was about to say more, but she caught sight of Saya and smiled sweetly.

"Saya-oneechan," she called.

"She has made no attempt to leave you," Amshel said, lowering his head slightly and stepping back, revealing Saya completely.

_Partly because I didn't even know where to go, _Saya thought sulkily to herself. She was startled when Diva appeared before her.

"I knew Saya-oneechan wouldn't leave me," she said cheerily.

"No, I would never leave you, Diva," Saya said, forcing a smile. _Because I know you'd kill me if I did._

"Look at you," Diva said, studying Saya from top to bottom. "You're in a mess." There was a look of mischief in her face, one which Saya caught sight of. But Diva quickly changed her expression to a so-called 'caring' way.

Saya couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. "I didn't intend to come before you in this ungainly appearance," she replied humbly. "Forgive me if this sight is not even worth looking at."

Diva's smile widened slightly in amusement. "Amshel, have her washed at once. And give her a pretty dress like mine."

"As you wish," Amshel bowed respectfully. He turned to Saya. "If you may…" He held out his hand formally. Saya placed her hand delicately on his. There was a sudden moment when she felt he'd crush her hand in his. But the chevalier merely ushered her into another room.

-ns-

Diva watched them leave, smirking. _How utterly ridiculous. _She looked at James and observed him for a few moments. "What's wrong with you, James? Your eyes burn with hatred toward onee-chan."

"No, it's not like that…" James' hardened features softened slightly.

"Well, in any case, I have to warn you: do not try to kill Saya or make any attempt to harm her. Only I am to do so when I feel like it. So don't get in my way, James. Otherwise…"

"I won't, my queen," James said obediently. "Please forgive me."

"Forgiveness doesn't matter. Go and get our meals."

"'Our'?" James repeated.

"Don't you get it? A meal for both me and Saya," Diva answered impatiently. "Now hurry up and get them."

"As you wish." James disappeared within moments.

Diva sat leisurely on the sofa. _This time, I'll teach you how to eat delicious food, Saya-oneechan…_

-ns-

Saya was brought into a large bathroom where she was to…bathe. There, Amshel left her without saying anything else other than a few instructions and where the soap and shampoo were located. As soon as he was gone, Saya tried to think of any possible means of escape. She tried to look through the window but found Nathan patrolling the area. She also sensed Solomon outside by the door of the bathroom she was in. She never realized they had arrived on such short notice.

_If they're this tight on me, Diva must seriously want me to stay with her. What have I gotten myself into? Oh well. It's no use thinking of escape right now. I might as well bathe before dwelling again in such matters. _Saya soon found herself under the shower where she enjoyed the continuous spray of water on her body. She was soon smeared with soap all over and her hair, which was unkept for so many days, was then with shampoo. While she busily tried scrubbing off the dirt on her body, Amshel came in and left a dress without Saya herself noticing him.

Saya soon rinsed herself after making sure every single part of her body was soaped. She felt all the dirt and grime leave her and she felt better. Afterwards, she dried herself with a towel she found in a cabinet Amshel showed her.

_This is not what I really anticipated, _Saya thought while examining the dress. She had no choice, though, so she wore it and sat infront of a mirror, brushing her hair and making herself appear presentable.

-ns-

Solomon, who had been waiting outside the bathroom, escorted Saya to the room Diva was in. It was a different room, wide as well, with a low, glass table and sofas surrounding it and a magnificently red carpet beneath. The tall, low windows, hung with large draperies, revealed the area outside.

Diva and Nathan were inside, conversing. The moment Saya and Solomon entered, the two stopped and watched them.

"Oh, so you're done now?" Diva was beside her within moments. Again, Saya was startled, but was able to hide her reaction before Diva could notice it. "You look, well, beautiful! Almost as beautiful as me." She caught Saya by the arm and pulled her toward the sofa.

"Hey, wait—" Saya was about to protest. But Diva's grip tightened on her, instantly silencing her from whatever she was about to say. Careful so as to not show her irritation, Saya meekly followed behind Diva, enduring the pain that was tightening around her forearm.

"My, you two really look like sisters," Nathan remarked as Saya sat side-by-side with Diva on the sofa.

"That's because we _are _sisters," Diva replied. "Right, onee-chan?" She looked up at Saya innocently. Saya could see her eyes shine with malice.

"Uh, yes…" she could only reply. Her dull answer made Diva frown momentarily. But Diva smiled cheerfully once more. Saya looked down at the carpet. _What do I have to put up with? Days ago, no, yesterday, she was tormenting me, treating me as her sworn enemy as I really am. And now… _she sighed. _She's treating me differently. What does she plan to do? She's thinks this is some sort of game she can play. Geez…_

She was unaware that Diva was keenly observing her while she was still indulged in her own thoughts. "What's wrong, sister?" Diva asked curiously.

The question was able to register in Saya's mind before Diva could lose her patience. "Huh? Oh, me? It's nothing… I was just thinking, that's all…"

"Thinking about what, sister?" Diva was more suspicious than curious.

"It's nothing worth discussing, really," Saya forced a smile. "Please forget the matter."

Diva easily lost interest as soon as she said that. "Whatever."

The door opened. James came in. With him were two unsuspecting girls, probably around sixteen or seventeen years old. The two came in and looked around, amazed at all the things they saw in the room. Saya's heart beat faster. Two young, human girls, unaware of what fate awaited them both. _Humans. Two, young humans. _"No…" she whispered hoarsely.

"It is great of you two to come," Nathan said welcomingly.

"Greater ever the more for both of us, sir," one of the girls said excitedly. Her hair was light brown, tied neatly behind her. Her companion had dark hair which reached down to her shoulders.

"Please, come closer," Nathan ushered.

_No… Please don't _Saya thought frantically.

The two girls did as they were told. Diva stood up and approached one of them. Saya stared at her back, held completely in place.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the brown-haired girl was surprised when Diva placed her arms around her. "Uhm, what did I—" she was quickly cut off when Diva bit down on her neck.

The dark-haired girl gasped in shock. "What are you doing to her?" she demanded.

Diva raised her head and looked at Saya, a sly smile dancing across her lips, now redder with blood. Her eyes were glowing in excitement. The girl lay unconscious in her arms. "It's your turn, onee-chan."

Saya stared at her, too scared to move. Her shoulders shook. "No…"

Diva gave her a piercing glare, one which made Saya flinch inwardly. "Go." Her voice was more of a sharp command than a request. "Do as I say. I released the previous meal because you begged me and swore you'd do whatever I wanted you to do. Now do it, or else…" Threat lingered in her voice. Serious, bone-chilling threat.

Saya gulped and stood up. She approached the dark-haired girl.

"No! Let me out of here!" the girl cried in sheer horror and headed for the door. But James already stood there, blocking her only exit. "Please let me out. _Please!_"

Saya was stopped by her words.

"Go," Diva commanded, her voice sharper.

Saya had no other choice and advanced toward the girl. The girl stepped back, horrified. Solomon was behind her and held her shoulders. The girl glanced up at him and was about to return her gaze to Saya. Suddenly she felt a warm embrace. Solomon stepped back, his face blank.

"I'm sorry…" Saya murmured into the girl's ear. Her apology being sincere eased the girl's tension. Unexpectedly the girl felt a painful bite on her neck. She was about to scream in protest but it was far too late.

Saya sank her fangs deep in the girl's vein, drinking in the blood. The girl struggled weakly, but had eventually stopped. As Saya continually drank in the girl's life, her eyes had glowed as red as the fluid she was taking away from the girl. Her unwillingness and fear were easily washed away by her sheer hunger and thirst and she savored the taste of the blood. Deep inside her, she could not deny the fact that she was _enjoying _the taste. All her constant struggles were overpowered by her instincts to feed. And in the middle of her frenzy, that was all that mattered.

-ns-

Soon, Saya could no longer drink any more blood. She had practically sucked the girl dry. She dropped the dead body and it landed with a low _thud. _Blood had streamed down from her lips to her throat and she was panthing heavily.

"Saya-neechan was hungry after all," Diva said in glee.

"Poor thing," Nathan said, leaning his chin on his clenched fist. A sly smile came across his lips. "She couldn't hold herself any longer." Solomon said nothing but watched Saya calmly. James looked away disapprovingly.

The dangerous red glow had disappeared from Saya's eyes and she returned to her real senses. She stared down blankly at the girl. Her heart faltered and her knees grew weak after realizing what she had done. She stepped back slightly, her eyes downcast.

"Are you satisfied, my dear?" Nathan asked.

"I…" Saya bit her quivering lip. "I am."

"Are you feeling okay?" Nathan continued.

"I'm fine…" Saya's throat tightened.

"She should feel better," Diva said satirically. "After all, she was able to feed on something good for once."

"Perhaps," Nathan agreed.

There was a moment of silence.

"I feel so sleepy," Diva announced.

"Oh, so it's your bedtime, then?" Nathan asked.

"Of course," Diva replied. She looked at the dead bodies with disgust. "James, dispose of them. I do not want Saya-oneechan to feel guilty over such small, normal matters." She glanced back slyly at Saya. Saya said nothing, but her eyes were still focused intently on the girl whom she had killed.

"Of course," James bowed his head.

"We're going to bed now, onee-chan," Diva said to Saya. She was beside her again within moments. Saya merely nodded, though the message did not completely register in her mind. Diva frowned, irritated. She held back herself from spanking her. Instead, she tightened her grip painfully on Saya's wrist, intending to get her attention. Saya turned to her finally, her face blank.

"You don't have to be emotional," Diva snapped.

"But she… I…" Saya's throat tightened. "It wasn't fair!" Tears filled the corners of her eyes.

"You don't know her anyway," Diva deadpanned.

"She didn't deserve this!" Saya looked down on the floor. "She didn't deserve it…"

"Why should you care?"

"Because her life was unfair!" Saya stared at her hands. "I killed her…I killed her because—"

"Because you were hungry," Diva finished flatly.

Saya looked at her, bewildered and shocked. "You don't care about anyone, let alone yourself, how…" she bit her lip and stopped herself from saying anymore. …h_ow can you be so heartless? _She averted her gaze stubbornly.

"What were you saying?" Diva inquired, almost demandingly.

"Nothing," Saya answered curtly. Diva threw her a sharp glare and tightened her grip on Saya's wrist, almost crushing it. Saya winced and glared at her. "Will you stop that?"

"Tell me then," Diva asserted.

"I told you it was nothing already," Saya replied, annoyed.

"If that's the case, then tell me." Diva was losing her patience.

Saya lost hers before she did. "Look: I'm sorry already okay? I didn't mean to say anything mean to you. Honestly!" she said, shrugging Diva's hand away. But Diva's grip was viselike and remained on her wrist. "Let go, will you? _Please_?" she ground the words out. Amazingly, Diva pulled away from her. Her face was darkening.

"Have it your way…" For the first time, Diva obeyed her. Saya noticed something. Her face softened.

"Hey… I'm sorry," she said, her voice gentler.

"Apology _not _accepted," Diva answered coldly. She was about to leave, but Saya caught her by the wrist.

"I just don't like what I did," Saya said. "So I…I'm not myself, that's all. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you." Saya's apology was strangely sincere and Diva felt it. She faced Saya once more.

"Fine," she answered haughtily, easily recovering from her 'solemn' situation moments ago. A smile quirked on the corners of her lips. "I forgive you." She placed her hand delicately on Saya's cheek and wiped the blood from her lips and then tasted it. Her smile brightened lightly. "Your meal was as good as mine."

Saya, startled by the sudden affection Diva showed her, was unable to speak at first. She looked away. "Yeah…"

-ns-

Saya lay in the king-sized bed with Diva. She did not expect Diva to be sleeping with her. Somehow, in one way or another, she did like it and that thought surprised her.

_Yesterday is so different from today… _she thought to herself, staring at the dark ceiling. There was a lampshade beside her, providing small light. _What am I really doing here? I don't get it. And Diva is treating me…differently. How did things end up like this?_

"Saya-neechan," Diva said softly, snuggling close to Saya. Saya moved away, almost automatically. Diva looked at her, an innocent and somber expression on her face, light reflecting in her eyes. Somehow, that look made Saya feel nostalgic. The night was chilly despite them having a blanket.

Saya gave a small sigh. "Oh, all right. If you feel cold…just come closer to me." Diva brightened and did so at once. No malice or mischief showed in her actions or expression this time. Just a younger sister who sought for her sibling's warmth in the cold.

"Saya-neechan," Diva said smugly, snuggling against Saya's shoulder. "You feel so warm…"

"I do?" Saya said, feeling warmer beside her sister.

"Yes…"

A few moments after, the two fell asleep instantly, their heads close together.

Nathan came in to check on them. Seeing the two queens both sound asleep together made him smile warmly. "My, oh my," he sighed. "How things can change so easily." He watched their steady breathing before finally leaving them to sleep in peace.

* * *

_This chapter is amazingly long and I was surprised by the length myself. I did enjoy doing this chapter. I hoped you did enjoy reading this, too. And I'm sorry it took me awhile before I could update again. This chapter supposedly had to be updated two days ago, however there ere some delays._

_Diva is quite the person whose moods and attitude can easily shift, a thing which may seem unusual in my fan fiction. But that was the conclusion I drew from her in the series, so thus I apply it here. And I would hope it wouldn't spoil anything._

_Anyhow, please review. It's your reviews that inspire me to go on._


	5. Chapter 5: Silenced

_I'm sooo glad that many appreciate my work! I was doubtful at first and I never expected such encouragement. Thank you so much! _

_(To be honest, I was nervous on what reviews I would receive. After reading them all, I was really, really happy! Yay!)_

_Anyways, I hope you would enjoy this chapter.  
_

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* * *

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Chapter V

Silenced

It was still dark when Saya awoke. Her mind was still hazy. She closed her eyes again. A few minutes after, she opened them and sat up. Diva stirred beside her, but did not awake. Saya observed her for a few minutes. Diva's features were serene and surprisingly gentle when she was at rest. The sight warmed Saya and instinctively, she reached out and brushed the locks of hair that were obscuring Diva's face.

A few minutes passed in silence. Saya's gaze wandered around, going through the large furniture and figurines that adorned the large room. She got out of the bed carefully so as to not awake Diva and headed for the door, slowly unbolting it and stepping outside. She was about to close the door when a voice spoke behind her.

"What do you plan to do at such an early hour?"

Saya spun around, startled and realized it was no other than Nathan. "I—uh, just wanted to go out for a while."

"Hmm?" Nathan studied her closely. "For what reason, my dear?"

"I wished to breathe in the air, it being cool and fresh in the morning."

"Ah, yes," Nathan said. "While the scent of the dew still dances in the morning air. A spectacular idea of starting your day. If it is your wish, then please, enjoy yourself."

"I can?" Saya asked, surprised. She really wasn't expecting Nathan to allow her to go outside.

"Of course, of course," Nathan said cheerily. He gestured down the hallway. "Go through here and you'll find the door leading outside easily."

"Thank you, Nathan," Saya said gratefully.

"A pleasure on my part, my queen," Nathan bowed slightly. Saya was caught off guard when the title "queen" was used on her. But she said nothing to follow the matter. "I'll have you know that Diva would not be so pleased when she finds out that you left her in the bed by herself. See to it that you do not tarry," Nathan reminded.

"I won't forget. Don't worry." Saya gave a quick smile.

"Now go and run along now while your sister is still asleep."

Saya nodded and walked down the hallway, quickly disappearing after turning around a corner.

-ns-

"Goodness me," Nathan said, smiling.

"I saw that," a voice said flatly behind him.

"Saw what, James?" Nathan asked without turning around.

"You let her go just like that. Why did you do something so foolish?" James demanded.

"Foolish?" Nathan gave a lighthearted laugh. "I doubt she will leave, at least not anymore."

"How can you say that?" James pressed.

"I just know," Nathan replied casually, staring at the hallway where Saya had been through just minutes ago. "A person like you would never quite understand."

James' voice narrowed dangerously. "What are you trying to imply?"

"Nothing," Nathan faced him, his smile wide. "What do you think was I trying to imply?"

"Forget it," James grumbled. "You'll answer to mother once Saya escapes." He walked past him.

"Won't I?" Nathan replied. "And address 'her' as mother as well. Or queen, perhaps."

"Saya? Why address someone like her? She deserves no title," James scoffed.

"Careful now," Nathan warned, though his voice was still light. "You don't even know what you're saying, my dear little James. Saya is our bride, mother and queen. You are inferior to her. And that gives her every right to earn respect from someone below her. Am I right?"

James grunted in disapproval and left wordlessly.

"My, what I sourpuss," Nathan mused.

-ns-

The whole area was still blanketed by darkness. But high up in the sky, the heavens were beginning to brighten. At the far East, the sky emitted a mysterious glow of red. The little orbs of light known as the stars, and the pale face of the moon were slowly losing their light. Below on the ground, the grasses were still bathed in dew. The morning air was cold and crisp, filled with the distant echoes of the birds' cries and songs, welcoming a brand new day.

Saya stood in the grass, her feet now wet with dew. She closed her eyes for a short while, straining to listen to the various sounds that filled the area with echoes. There were also the chirps of the crickets and the croaking of the toads. It was refreshing just listening peacefully to the sounds of Nature. Even the mists of sleepiness have disappeared from her mind and thoughts freely entered it.

_I should return now. _Saya went back inside the house, remembering what Nathan had told her. She was soon inside the large bedroom. Diva was still asleep, to her relief. Saya got back under the sheets, beside the younger queen. She stared down Diva again, studying her gentle yet fierce features. She reached out and gently stroked her hair without realizing what she was doing herself.

_Diva… You're my sister, my only real family. Why did we have to fight in the first place? _Saya thought sadly. She remembered first seeing Diva, first in her ragged clothing, where her face was unrevealed...and then her real appearance when she was holding Joel in her arms, biting down on his neck… It was blurry, but she could still recall. _Whose fault was it that caused us to fight like this? Then again… _Doubt intervened with her thoughts. _I wouldn't have known Dad, Kai, Riku and the rest. I wouldn't have had such family and friends. I was happy with them. But I wonder… _She gave a curious expression as she looked down at Diva, as if questioning the younger queen with the look. _Were you happy here? Diva, where you as satisfied as me? You suffered for so long and I… _she paused. _I was selfish. I thought you were always selfish and self-centered. But it was the other way around, wasn't it? You were lonely the whole time, ever since you were born alongside me. I misunderstood you. I was careless in thought and insensitive to your feelings. You are sometimes, well…annoying, I have to admit that. I hated the way you acted towards me…maybe I'll have to say that I still find that irritating up to now. _She stopped for a moment. _Nevertheless…the way you treated me was in contrast with what you truly felt. Was that it? _

Saya paused again, as if anticipating a reply from the still-asleep sibling. Diva stirred slightly and slowly, her eyes opened. She stared up coldly at Saya. Even if she was sleepy and her features very well revealed that, her eyes were piercing.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Saya looked down at Diva with equal curiosity. The question made no sense to her. "What?"

"Your hand… it feels heavy."

It took a moment before Saya realized her hand was still resting on Diva's hair.

"Oh!" Saya quickly drew back her hand. "I'm sorry. I—I didn't mean to…" her voice trailed off and her cheeks were blushing in embarrassment.

Diva unexpectedly giggled. "You're so funny." She hugged Saya around the waist. "That's why having you as my onee-chan is fun."

_Diva… _Saya was stunned for a moment.

The door opened. Nathan stepped inside. "Rise and shine, my darlings!" he said cheerfully.

Diva pouted at him.

Nathan stopped dead on his tracks. "What?"

"Don't come barging in my room without knocking first, Nathan," Diva said, her voice laced with vague irritation. "It's very rude."

"It can't be helped," Nathan replied nonchalantly. "Oh do forgive me, Diva."

"You've interrupted us," Diva stated dryly.

Nathan studied them for a few moments, seeing that Diva still clung to Saya's waist. "Oh, oh. I see. Forgive me. Should I take my leave then?"

"No." Diva released from her hugging and sat up. "It's already bright outside. It would be boring to stay here."

"Yes. Of course, of course," Nathan agreed. He was by the bedside then. "How was sleep, by the way? The night was quite chilly, I must say."

"It was nice," Diva replied. She caught Saya around the arm. "Especially since onee-chan was beside me to keep me warm."

"Oh, how sweet," Nathan remarked. He clapped his hands. "Okay, now. Enough of that. Let's all get up."

Diva and Saya got out of the bed. Their hair were slightly messy.

"Oh, no no no," Nathan cried out, looking dramatically horrified. "Goodness! Look at you both: you two look, well, _horrid_!"

"Oh, please stop it with the acting, Nathan," Diva snapped.

"But wasn't it good? My acting?" Nathan asked.

"Not at all," Diva replied.

"Well, forget it. Come here, both of you." Nathan got a hairbrush from one of the dressers. He started to brush Diva's hair.

"Isn't my hair lovely?" Diva inquired.

"Why, yes. It always is," Nathan replied.

Diva looked at Saya. "Say, onee-chan, why don't you make your hair grow as long as mine so you'll prettier, like me?"

"I'll think about it…"

-ns-

Saya and Diva were outside in the sun. Close by, Nathan and Solomon sat. They were having a conversation of their own.

"Onee-chan," Diva called as Saya was indulged in her thoughts. It irritated her to see Saya preoccupied with other things she found unnecessary.

Saya was staring at the ground, thinking intently about Kai and the rest. Her main thought was usually interrupted by other minor thoughts such as how green the grass was and the reason on why the sky was blue. Simple thoughts never ceased to enter her head once in a while.

"Saya!" The voice startled Saya. She blinked a few times before looking at Diva.

"What's wrong?" she managed to ask.

"Doesn't this doll look pretty?" Diva held up a doll to her.

Saya studied the doll and true enough, it did look beautiful. "Yes, it does." She smiled.

"Does it look prettier than me?" Diva asked.

Saya was surprised by the question. She studied Diva's innocent look and finding no malice, whatsoever, she answered truthfully, "It's just a doll. But its features quite exceed your own. So, yes."

Diva frowned. "If that's the case…" she suddenly ripped the doll's head off and flung it to a distance. Saya was stunned by Diva's reaction and thus, was rendered speechless. She unwittingly stared after the doll's head.

"What's with the look?" Diva's voice brought her back to her senses.

"It's nothing."

"Do you pity that the doll?"

"No. Of course not. It's just…unexpected. What you did."

"That doll deserves it. It was prettier than me so I had to remove it at once," Diva stated flatly.

Diva's childish jealousy to a mere toy seemed funny to Saya. She giggled slightly. Diva glowered at her, which made Saya stop.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing." Saya was unable to hide her smile.

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't be giggling right now."

"It's nothing, honest," Saya lied, trying to look sincere. Diva could easily tell she wasn't telling the truth. But she released the matter at once, since it would be a hassle to squeeze out the truth and it in itself might seem boring.

"Forget it," she finally answered. She soon got bored and tugged at the hem of Saya's skirt. "Onee-chan, let's have a game."

"A game?" The look on Saya's face was surprised.

"What's the matter?" Diva was frowning, irritated again.

"No. I was just wondering what the game would be," Saya quickly intervened.

"Hide and seek. I want to play that," Diva replied. "You'll be the 'it'. So I'll 'hide' and you 'seek'" She had decided things before Saya could say anything.

"Okay, fine." Saya stood up though she seemed reluctant. She faced the tree and leaned on the trunk, covering her eyes with her hands. "On a count to thirty only," she declared and started counting.

Diva got up quickly and blurred out of sight.

-ns-

While Diva and Saya were spending their time together, Nathan and Solomon were seated comfortably in their…seats, having some tea.

"Those two seem to be getting along quite well," Nathan observed.

"I never thought that they could even reconcile even after their fight," Solomon admitted. He sipped from his cup, his gaze resting on Saya.

Nathan watched him for a few minutes before deciding to speak again. "My, you seem to be so very anxious about them."

"Why wouldn't I?" Solomon returned a mild look to him. "Don't you feel the same thing?"

"Of course I do," Nathan replied. He took a sip of his tea. "But I have say though that your interest lies more on our older queen."

A small smile appeared on Solomon's lips. "How can you say that?"

"How could I not say that?" Nathan returned lightly.

Solomon sighed. "Perhaps what you say is true," he admitted.

"No doubt," Nathan replied. His gaze returned to the siblings. "Look at them. They just seem adorable together."

"Indeed they are," Solomon agreed, following Nathan's gaze.

"It seems they decided on playing a game," Nathan observed further. He sipped his tea. "It looks like 'hide and seek' again."

"It's good that Diva has a new playmate," Solomon said. "I could tell she wasn't having much fun when we were her companions."

"She seems to enjoy very much her sister's company." He smirked. "Naturally."

-ns-

"…twenty-nine. Thirty." Saya spun around. "Okay, I'm done!" she declared. "Ready or not, here I come!"

She started to walk around, looking both left and right. For some time, she was trying to search for Diva.

_Hey wait a second. _She stopped walking. _This place is huge and I don't know how far I should go. Diva didn't tell me anything. _She resumed walking. _This is such a hassle. I have no time for childish games. Then again, if it's her… _She was surprised again. _What in the world…? What's the difference if it's her or not? _

Saya went over to some bushes which she thought would make a good hiding spot. Nothing was there. _Darn_, she sighed. _This is going to take a while…_

_If I were Diva, _Saya thought, _where would I go? _She thought hard.

_I know._

-ns-

_Where is she? _Diva wondered. She squeezed herself in corner in the darkness. She was in the dungeon, hiding in the space between the large post which supported the ceiling and the wall. There were some large chains and other equipment scattered around.

_I wish she would be a bit faster, _Diva thought. She didn't like the idea of hiding in the forest, though it did offer convenient hiding spots. The house was not fit either. So she decided to hide in the dungeon, the place where Saya was imprisoned previously. The place was deathly quiet, one which Diva disliked. _Such a boring old hole… _she thought.

_I wonder if Saya-neechan is on her way looking for me, _Diva thought, leaning smugly against the wall. Her arms were locked around her knees and her chin was resting atop them. Diva was unaware of the fact that while she laid waiting in the shadows, her mind was set on various thoughts, things she hardly even bothered dwelling in.

_It's fun to play with Saya-neechan after all. She's annoying at times, but still does what I say. She's better than my children who do whatever I say but never seem to do it at heart. Oh well, they're all stupid people to begin with so it's not a surprise._

_Nonetheless… I wonder, does Saya-neechan want to stay here? She's always thinking deeply. Who are those people who take so much of her time? It's because of them that onee-chan is always left to think so much about them and not about me._

_I hate them. Those stupid, naive humans. They're all the same. They're all like that stupid, mindless fool, Joel. If that so-called 'Red Shield' attempts to steal Saya away, I'd tear them to pieces. _Diva giggled maliciously. _Or maybe I'd make good use of them by drinking their blood. No doubt, I'll find delicious meals among those rotten beings._

Diva sensed someone's presence. She could easily tell that it was Saya. The older queen's bearing did light up a feeling of nostalgia. Some part of Saya was deeply engraved in Diva's being, one which gave Diva a unique sense of distinguishing her sister from the rest, even when she was not within her range of sight. Even before did Diva have this feeling as long as her sister was close by.

-ns-

Saya walked over to the old, metal gate which lead down into the dungeon. The entrance was hidden by tall trees. The gate was slightly open and Saya knew that Diva went through here. But other than that, even if she was still uncertain whether her sister was really down there in the shadows , she could still feel something which did assure her that the person she sought _was _somewhere down in the dungeon, waiting.

She pushed the gate open. The staircase stretched down into the darkness. Saya was reluctant at first. But she knew that Diva was just below in the shadows, waiting for her to bring her out into the sun. With that, she took each step with care, seeing that she would not trip.

"Hello?" Saya called. Fortunately, there were some torches still aflame to provide adequate light. She looked around. It was quiet.

_It seems that there is no one here at all, _she thought, looking around. _But I swear I felt that she was here. _She walked farther for the corridor was wide and stretched forward into the darkness where there was no light. Saya gulped. Already, the deadly silence frightened her. She was not going to do any more that that.

But then, she soon found herself walking farther into the dungeon. As she did, her eyes tried to adjust to the dimness. She searched around, straining to make out the figure of her sister even in the eerie darkness. Somehow, she felt that at the very corner, she just might find the person she sought.

_No way, _Saya thought, staring intently at the darkest part of the dungeon where no light reached. _No way am I going there. I've had my scare already. And besides, why in the world am I playing this senseless game with her in the first place? _

Saya stood there for a while, thinking, deciding. _It's not like something's going to get me anyway, _she thought, reasoning with herself. She mustered all the courage she had and slowly approached the darkest corner. As she neared it, a hand grabbed her wrist unexpectedly. Saya squealed in fright, shaking the hand off. There was a sudden eruption of wild, cruel laughter.

"It's just me, onee-chan," a familiar, satiric voice said.

"Diva…?" Saya's heart was pounding her chest and her breathing was rapid. For a moment, she was relieved. Then anger soon flowed into her. "That wasn't funny!"

"It was for me," Diva replied, still giggling. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"Well, whatever." Saya tried to deviate from the situation. Her face was red with embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "Now I found you. Game over. Let's go." She was about to leave. Diva was still holding her wrist and she pulled Saya back. "What's the matter? C'mon."

"What's with the rush?" Diva inquired.

"Nothing. I just want to…leave this place." Saya paused. "Besides, they'll be looking for us."

"Are you scared, that's why you want to leave so badly?" Diva asked, clearly amused.

"No," Saya replied hastily. "No, of course not! Why should I be scared? I'm not scared." Her voice was still tense and shaky, even though it sounded determined.

"Really? Why did you scream back then when I held your wrist?"

"Well, that's because…" Saya's voice trailed off. She quickly tried to think of a reason. "I was just startled, that's all."

"Liar," Diva teased playfully.

"I wasn't lying!" Saya replied. But the nervous tone of her voice betrayed her.

"Admit it, you were scared," Diva pressed.

"I was not."

"Don't worry, onee-chan. I'm here with you. You don't have to be afraid," Diva assured. Saya stared at her, flabbergasted. She couldn't say anything. Diva held her around the arm and pulled Saya alongside her. "Let's go then." It was more of a statement than a command.

"Right…" Saya obediently followed beside her.

The two siblings went and left the dungeon together.

* * *

_I loved writing this. And I love the people who read it. Heh. I promise I'd make this fic a whole lot better. And about the errors and all that stuff, I'm sorry again. I was kind of frustrated to see my own mistakes.  
_

_Please review this chapter. That is all. Thank you.  
_


	6. Chapter 6: Once Again

_Yep. So many things pointed out which I never even bothered to think about. Don't worry. I'll consider all those stuff in the following chapters. For the meantime, I'd like everyone to be entertained by this chapter. (I made this waaay ahead of time and I'm too busy to change it. On the other hand, I don't want to change it 'cause I like it. Hope the readers will like it as much as I did.)_

_Go on. Read in peace…_

_

* * *

_

Chapter VI

Once Again

"No!" Saya cried, hugging herself and trembling.

"Do as I say!" Diva commanded sharply.

"No! I can't…" Saya was close to tears. "I just can't bring myself to kill another…"

They were in the large living room. Solomon was holding a teenage girl in his hands. The girl was forcefully drugged for easier handling. She merely stared at the two sisters, unable to understand what was going on, what fate was being decided for her. Her senses were dulled and both hearing and sight failed to help her. Even her brain could no longer think straight, not even of a plan to escape.

She had fallen victim to Solomon's charms and the invitation he set before her. She was lead here only to serve as a meal to the two queens. Her companion lay dead on the floor, drained of all her blood.

"Saya!" Diva's voice was filled with anger. She glared at the older queen who refused to feed on the helpless human. "Listen to me!"

"No!" Saya cried back stubbornly. Her eyes burned and her lip was quivering.

"If you won't do it—"

"Or what?" Saya cut quickly. "What would you do?"

"I would bring you back to that dungeon. And I _swear_, I will not let you out and you will _never _see the daylight again."

"Is that all? Then do what you see is fit! I don't care what you do! I _will not _kill another human!" Saya was as assertive as Diva.

"You wish to try me?" Diva's voice was dangerously low. "I swear to you, sister, _I_ _will make you suffer as long as you live_." Her threat hung in the air. A cold shudder ran down Saya's spine. Diva was serious now. And her threat was as serious as well. "Now do as I say."

Saya averted her gaze, biting her lip. She took a tentative step toward the girl.

"Saya." The voice was colder, sharper.

Saya advanced slowly toward the girl. She was stiff and tensed under Diva's chilly gaze. She was soon infront of the girl. The girl looked at her blearily. Her eyes were dulled by the drug she was given. Saya glanced up at Solomon. His face was blank, his eyes as cold as Diva's.

"Now, Saya. Do it _now,_" Diva commanded further. Saya reached out. Her arms were hesitant at first. The voice called her name again and Saya feared that another call would mean a serious, merciless punishment. She held the girl and Solomon let go of his hold on her.

Saya placed her mouth on the large, jugular vein where it was pulsing with blood. The scent was pleasurable to Saya and instinctively, she sank her fangs deep into the girl's neck. In that instant, her eyes glowed red. A small, frightened whimper escaped the girl's lips and she struggled weakly. Saya held her tighter and bit deeper into her flesh. A small line of blood streamed down her mouth as she continually drank. Again, all her feelings, even her conscience's reluctance had been washed away within the moments of her frenzy.

-ns-

Soon, the girl lay dead on the floor. The red glow disappeared from Saya's eyes and she stared down blankly at the corpse which was drained of all its blood. _I have killed two of them now… _she thought ruefully. A shudder coursed through her body. _How many more must I slay for the sake of my hunger?_

"Now, onee-chan, wasn't your meal delicious?" a contentious voice intervened smoothly.

Saya regretfully looked at the younger queen. She couldn't say anything. She felt like some sort of merciless beast and she feared she was slowly being turned into one. A few hours ago, she and Diva were at good terms with one another. Now, they were as good as in the past.

"What's wrong?" Diva was exasperated.

Saya made no attempt to reply. Her mouth remained tightly shut, making no move to speak.

"What, sister? Why won't you answer? Was the meal so delicious that you're still savoring it?"

Something snapped inside Saya's mind. She bridled the sudden eruption of anger within her, holding it down and tried to keep calm.

"Or are you still thinking about the girl? About how _unfair _it was for her to lose her life for being a worthwhile meal of yours?"

Saya blinked. Diva was toying with her. Now hatred and rancor were beginning to burn inside her. She bit her lip, restraining the words she so longed to say: _you heartless beast! How long are you going to prey on helpless humans for your own selfish, good-for-nothing self?_

"Onee-chan, why do you remain mute? Are you still tongue-tied? Tell me. Was it delicious? Was the girl delicious?"

"Why…" Saya couldn't hold it any longer. "Why are you like this?"

Diva stared at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Look at you… You're not even bothered by the fact that you killed someone."

Diva smiled slyly. "Why would I even be bothered?"

"Why shouldn't you?" Saya returned, her voice trembling. "Why are you so heartless, Diva? Why do you remain so cold and unfeeling? Why?"

"Does it bother you, onee-chan?" Diva inquired dryly, not seeming the least bothered. The words did not reach into her heart.

"Of course it does!" Saya cried.

"But you killed a human, too, onee-chan," Diva pointed out flatly. "How could you call me heartless, cold and unfeeling?"

The question almost drove Saya mad. Diva was twisting her words. "You were the one who forced me—" She bit her lip, not daring to say any more.

Diva gazed at her candidly. "I was the one who forced you…to what?

A vein throbbed on Saya's temple. Diva was trying to act innocent, when there was not even once a hint of sincere innocence in her. She clenched her fists and looked away. "It's nothing… Please forget it…" she released brusquely through gritted teeth.

Diva stared at her, cocking her head to one side. She observed the elder sibling for a few moments in obvious amusement. Finally, she turned her back on her and said, feeling ennui, "I'd like to go outside and sing right now."

"If that is your wish, Diva, please do," Solomon replied dutifully.

Diva smirked and within moments, was gone.

-ns-

Silence filled the room.

"Saya…" Solomon began. He was about to say something, something to comfort her.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll just head to the room…" Saya said softly. By 'room', she meant the bedroom she and Diva shared. She could have said 'our room'—both hers and Diva's room for it was officially known that way. Or she could have said 'Diva's room'. But she was not in the mood to see it that way. It was different then.

"Of course…" Solomon's voice trailed off. He felt dejected.

"Please do, my queen. We shall leave you to your privacy," Nathan answered, continuing what Solomon would have said, in a much livelier state.

Saya nodded sullenly and left at once, walking past them while her head was lowered. As she left, Solomon glimpsed a few tears from the elder queen.

-ns-

Solomon stared after Saya sadly. He wanted to do something to ease her pain. He knew Diva was insensitive to Saya's feelings. But he could do nothing but watch the two queens as they fought, only a few moments ago.

"She has stayed rather too long with the humans," Nathan spoke finally.

"Indeed." Solomon was still staring at the doorway where Saya had gone through.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

A song suddenly sailed outside, spreading throughout the area. Diva's song.

Nathan looked outside the window. "It seems she has started…her own world of misery."

"It seems so."

Nathan looked down at the bodies of the two girls. "Well, we better dispose of them before they get back here."

"Agreed." Solomon carried the corpse from whom Saya had fed on previously in his arms with surprising gentleness.

"Seriously…" Nathan sighed, watching the sympathetic chevalier.

-ns-

Saya was lying in the bed. She buried her face in the large pillow and remained thus for a long time. Then she unexpectedly heard it. She heard Diva singing from outside.

_That song…_ Saya listened in silence and felt suddenly nostalgic.

The song went on, placing a mysterious effect on her. She couldn't understand what feelings were beginning to form. _It feels so…lonely._

She felt as if the song was being sung to her. Only her. _Diva… what are you trying to tell me? What are those things you wish to express?_

She turned aside and stared at the ceiling, completely lost in thought as the song continued to sail through the windows. Each note vibrated in the air and faded into nothingness, filling the atmosphere with a solemn feeling.

_I guess…I shouldn't have been too hard on her, _Saya thought. _After all, her real intention was to feed me something which she finds as better food for me. It was my fault. I was too sensitive. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. And now…well, now, I upset her._

The minutes crawled by and soon, the whole singing faded away. _Or was she even upset?_

Saya sat up and looked out the window. She wanted to listen to the song again. _Her song was always a song I feared. It was the song that brought me despair. However, it feels…so different now. That despair…it was her despair. She was singing…about her own pain._

She gazed outside for a few minutes more and laid herself back in the plump pillows. _What should I do? _she asked herself while staring into space at the ceiling. _Should I apologize? Should I tell her it was my fault? _Her pride rebelled. _No. It was her fault. She made me do it. If it wasn't for her, none of this would have happened. If she would have thought of how I felt for once, she could have been considerate. She could have just allowed me to eat human food instead. That way, I could have spared a human. _She was surprised. _I suddenly refer to people as 'humans'. It's as if they are inferior little…meals. _She was shocked with her own words. It was something she never expected to say. The thought disturbed her greatly. She rested the back of her hand on her face, covering her eyes. A sigh escaped her lips. _What is happening to me? I don't feel like my real self. Everything about me is starting to change. What should I do? Everyone would be upset if I acted like a stranger…which I think I'm turning into._

Saya was lost again. Her mind wandered aimlessly, shuffling into several thoughts. She thought about everyone who was still looking for her. _That's right. They're still out there, looking desperately for me why I lie here idly, making no effort to escape_. _What should I do? I miss all of them so much. _She had an unexpected yearning to return to Kai and the rest. _I want to go back. I have to. _

_But I can't leave Diva here… No. I can't. She…she'll be lonely. I don't want her to feel lonely anymore. I can't blame her for being distant and cold. No one cared for her and she grew up without realizing that. Her chevaliers may fulfill all her desires…but that can never ease her pain._

-ns-

Diva slowly ended her song. When she was done singing, she sat on the grass under the shade. She did not feel like going back, at least not yet. She wanted to sing again, but she decided she'd rest more.

Diva looked up the sky. She hadn't looked at the sky for a long time and for the first time, she marveled at the vast, blue heavens. _Onee-chan… _she thought. _Onee-chan, did you hear my song? I was singing to you. Was it beautiful? I want to hear it with my own ears, hear you say it's beautiful. I want to see your cheerful smile…because then I'd feel happy. _

_But instead, I made you frown, almost up to the point of tears. I hate to see those tears run down your face. Tears are not meant for you. It's in you to be happy. It is I that has to live with these tears because I grew up in an uncaring world. You…you lived a contented life with those petty humans. You grew with the smiles. I…I grew up in despair. And for me, it's really alright because I'm used to it. I'm used to being alone. It's you, onee-chan who has to be happy with everyone else…because seeing and knowing my onee-chan is happy and contented is enough for me…_

_That's why, I thought humans would make a better meal for you. You refused to eat them and I lost my patience and gave way to anger without thinking about how you felt. I didn't intend to hurt you…maybe just a bit. But I just thought it would be better for you. Would you ever be able to understand me truly, onee-chan?_

_I… _Diva bit her lip. _I'm sorry, onee-chan. I didn't want to make you cry. I wish… I wish you'd forgive me right now so that I could watch the sky with you…_

She giggled wickedly. _Nevertheless,_ _no matter how sorry I feel for you and this doubt that I have for hurting your feelings, it is still fun to make you cry, _another part of her thought._ It's just simply wonderful to mess with you. Your pain is my pleasure. And making you miserable is such an enjoyable game I will never be fed up with. And no matter how much painful it may seem, I will not ask forgiveness for this._

-ns-

Solomon sat uneasily on the sofa. Nathan was busy reading a book, opposite him. Solomon leaned back and glanced at the hallway where Saya and Diva's room was located. He shifted his position, this time, crossing his legs and glanced at the hallway again.

"What's bothering you?" Nathan finally asked, after reading in silence. Solomon had been repeating the process for a long time: glancing at the hallway, shifting position, after a moment would glance again at the hallway, while shifting position once again and so on.

"It's nothing." The answer was obviously a lie.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about them?"

"A bit," Solomon admitted. Nathan gave him a look. "Fine. I'm, well, overly anxious."

"You are probably thinking that they will not reconcile again, am I right?"

"How did you—"

"Oh, come now. It's so obvious. I could easily read your mind like this book. By the way, this book did very well pique my interest. It's about this man named John—"

"Nathan," Solomon sighed benignly.

"Right. I'm sorry," Nathan apologized. "It seems I got too carried away." He leaned his chin on his clenched fist and peered at Solomon. "My good Solomon, do not worry too much. Sooner or later, everything will go back to normal sooner than you can expect. Those two are sisters. Nothing can come between them."

"I hope so…" Solomon stared blankly at the floor.

"Believe me." Solomon looked at him. Nathan winked. "I know things."

"'Know things'?" Solomon repeated curiously.

Nathan resumed reading. "You'll soon see."

"I wish to see it soon."

-ns-

Saya stayed in the room most of the day. She had spent her time thinking deeply about Diva, even up to the point of arguing with herself over the matter of whether she should apologize to her or not.

_She's not the least bothered anyway, no matter how you see it, _one side said.

_Yes, but it wasn't right as well to talk to her that way, _the other replied.

_Was it? Give me a break! It was true anyway. You shouldn't be bothered because it would make no difference to her what you think or feel._

_How can you say that, you numbskull?_

_What? You're defending her now? What the heck's wrong with you? See? Even that little scum is twisting your mind. You don't even seem to know what's right from what's wrong. Hello? Are you still Saya? Are you still the Saya Otonashi everyone knows?_

_Of course I am! It's you who's blind! You don't even know what Diva went through so how do you even have the guts to say such things?_

_Do _you_ know what Diva_ _went through? You speak as though _you _understand her._

_No… but still… wait. Do I? _

_See. Now YOU are the one who's unsure._

_Wait a second. I'm just arguing with you, who is also me at the same time. What the heck? _Saya got up, kneading her temples.

"Oh, for heaven's sake…" she muttered. "Why in the world am I arguing with myself? I'm not going anywhere with this am I?" _Brother. _She fell back into the mattress.

Silence dominated the room.

_Well, whatever… Maybe after taking a quick nap, I'd be able to wake up with a bit more sense. _She closed her eyes. Minutes passed by. Soon, she fell asleep.

-ns-

"Where's Saya?" Diva asked as she entered the house.

"Diva." Solomon quickly stood up, relieved.

"Oh, so you're back. Where have you been?" Nathan asked. His eyes were still glued to the book he was reading.

"Somewhere which is none of your concern," Diva replied sarcastically.

Nathan laughed lightheartedly. He was too focused on the book to feel any irritation. "Fine. If you're looking for your sister, she's in your room."

Without even bothering to thank him, Diva headed for the room. Solomon was about to stand up and follow her.

"What do you plan to do?" Nathan asked.

"Should I watch over them?"

"Watch over them?" Nathan stopped reading and looked at Solomon, amused. "Why should you do that?"

"Well, that's because…"

"You fear Diva would harm Saya?"

"…yes," Solomon answered blankly. He paused and considered the question for a moment. "No! I mean…no. I mean, how could you ask that?"

"Because it's so obvious, that's why."

"I merely want to see them reconcile…properly."

"And since when was their way of reconciling not proper?"

"Since the… No, I mean… I just…" Solomon sputtered.

"Goodness," Nathan sighed. "As much as both you and I want to check on them, I should think it is best that it is best that we leave them be for the time being. You know, give them a bit of privacy. You can understand that, can't you?"

"Of course," Solomon answered quickly.

"Good." Nathan returned to his reading. "Now, where did I stop again?"

-ns-

Saya was still fast asleep. Diva stared at her curiously. Time crawled by slowly and she was soon losing her patience. _Should I slap her? _Diva wondered as she stared down at Saya. She studied the older queen's features, running her hand across her cheek and down to the jaw.

_So much…like me. _Diva smiled. _I'm still a lot more beautiful than her even if we're twins._

-ns-

Saya slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first and she could not make up the figure before her. Soon, though her eyes gradually focused on the person.

"Diva?" she inquired.

"Nee-chan was enjoying her sleep too much," Diva stated innocently. "I would have smacked you awake."

"You wouldn't have."

"I could. I'll do it right now if you want."

"No, it's okay." Saya gave an awkward smile. "I'm awake now. There's no need to do such."

"If that's the case, get up then."

"What time is it, anyway?"

"How should I know?"

Saya sat up. Diva was beside her. She looked out through the windows. It was dusk. The place was starting to get dark and gloomy.

"We'll be having our evening wash after early dinner," Diva told her.

"Oh…okay."

-ns-

Nothing seemed to have changed and the previous heated argument had settled down, though both queens made no move to apologize to each other.

As usual, Saya and Diva were served humans as their dinner. Saya was unable to resist, especially since Diva commanded her to do so. All eyes were on her and the pressure forced her to submit to Diva's wishes, one which was pleasurable to the latter since she was followed without question.

After sucking her victim dry, Diva licked her lips, satisfied. "Nathan, I want to have my wash right now. I feel so dirty in this old dress."

"Of course, of course. I shall ready your bath and a pretty new dress," Nathan replied. He was about to leave.

"Nathan," Diva called.

"Yes?"

"I'm having my bath together with Saya-neechan. Prepare two dresses for both of us."

"What?" Saya said in surprise, overhearing what Diva had said.

"Oh my." Nathan was surprised. "If it is your wish, then of course."

Diva watched him leave.

"Diva, can't we have separate baths?" Saya asked.

"No," Diva replied plainly. "What's wrong if we bathe together? I don't see anything wrong."

Saya's face flushed red. "Not that there's anything wrong, of course. It's just…" her voice trailed off.

"Just what?"

"You know what, you could just forget it."

-ns-

Saya and Diva's bath was prepared in the large, majestic bathroom where Saya had her bath previously. Nathan had made a bubble bath. In the wide tub which was more like a small child's pool, the water was filled foamy and bubbly. Nathan had left the two siblings as soon as he had escorted them to the bathing room.

"Diva, I really think we should have separate baths," Saya said.

Diva was about to undress. "Why?"

"Well, you see…" Saya was blushing lightly. "I can't explain it. You could go first. I'll come next after you're done."

"No. I want to bathe with you," Diva replied. "Besides, I don't see anything wrong." She peered slyly at Saya. "Or are you just embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed?" Saya repeated, caught off-guard. "No, of course not!"

"Then it's settled then." Diva soon undressed, paying no heed to what Saya was saying. She faced Saya. "Now it's your turn, onee-chan."

"Me?" Saya would have normally faced Diva. But her face was directed sideways and her cheeks were flushed red. "Oh, no. I told you already, I could have my bath after you."

"It's nothing I haven't seen," Diva stated flatly, though she was enjoying the state Saya was in.

"That's not what I meant!" Saya looked at her but quickly faced sideways again, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"What then?"

"Nothing."

"If you're hard up with undressing, I could help you," Diva offered. Mischief was shining in her eyes.

"No, I'm fine doing it alone," Saya answered quickly. But she made no attempt to remove her dress.

"If you won't do it, I'm going to rip the dress off." This time, Diva was serious.

"Okay, okay. I'll do it." Saya was about to undress. She paused. "Will you please turn around?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I'll see you sooner or later. There's no sense in hiding yourself," Diva pointed out dryly.

"Fine," Saya grumbled. She slowly began to undress. As she did, she could feel Diva's gaze on her, which made her whole face flush a deeper red. When she had no clothes on, Diva pulled her to the shower.

"Saya-neechan. Wash my back will you?" Diva asked liked an innocent child.

"Whah—? Me?" Saya was surprised.

"Who else?" Diva retorted sarcastically.

"Alright," Saya sighed.

"And then I'll wash your back, too!" Diva said as Saya brushed her back gently.

"No, it's okay—"

"I _said _I'll wash your back, too," Diva repeated sweetly, though her voice was laced with threat.

"Fine, fine," Saya answered. _Sheesh._

…

"Oww!" Saya cried in pain. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Soooorry," Diva apologized innocently. She had intentionally made a long cut across Saya's back as she was washing it. Blood quickly streamed down and mixed with water.

"What did you do?" Saya tried to look at her wound as it slowly healed.

"Nothing," Diva lied innocently, hiding her malice behind her fake expression.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Saya inquired in accusation.

"No."

"You're lying."

"And if I _said _I wasn't, you _will not _even dare pursue the issue, yes?"

"Yes…" Saya answered sulkily.

"Good." Diva smiled. "Now it's time for the fun part."

-ns-

Saya sank into the warm, bubbly water, leaving only half of her face out. She grumbled to herself.

"Saya," Diva called.

"What?" Saya faced her. Then a splash of foamy water hit her in the face.

Diva burst into cruel laughter. "That was so funny, onee-chan!" she cried out.

"Oh yeah…" Saya grinned mischievously. "Let's see how you like this!" She returned a larger splash at Diva.

"No fair!" Diva tried to defend herself from Saya's continuous sprays and splashes of water. When Saya was exhausted, Diva began her assault. "Now it's my turn!"

-ns-

Solomon went to check on the siblings, to see what they were doing. It had been a while then and the long period of time had made him wonder what took them so long to just have a small wash.

As he neared the door to the bathroom, he heard wild laughter from inside.

"You're going nowhere! Now it's my turn!" he heard Saya say triumphantly.

"Not unless I attack you first!" a voice replied, which was Diva's.

"Oh yeah. Take this!" There was a noisy splash of water.

"You're so weak!" Diva's voice scoffed.

Another splash of water.

"Hey! I wasn't done yet!" Saya's voice cried out.

There was more laughter.

"There they go again," Solomon sighed, after realizing the two were having fun, playing games inside. "Sisters they are, indeed."

After a while, Solomon decided to intervene. He knocked on the door. "You two should hurry up and get dressed. It's your bedtime."

"Aww, but Solomon," Diva's voice started to complain.

"Diva, I think we should listen to Solomon. He's right, after all. We should be in bed by now," Saya's voice told Diva calmly.

"Fine," Diva's voice replied sulkily.

-ns-

Saya and Diva were under the cool sheets of the mattress. Both were in simple nightgowns, dry and comfortable. The two were still exhausted from their game previously and as a result, had fallen asleep within a few minutes.

"To think that such serious conflicts would die down so easily," Solomon said as he watched the steady breathing of the two queens.

"What can you expect?" Nathan replied, following Solomon's gaze.

"I'm just surprised, that's all."

"We both are."

"Seriously…" Solomon sighed. His gaze rested heavily on Saya. Nathan observed him for a few moments, smiling. He could already sense something different in Solomon's eyes. But he said nothing concerning it. Instead, he said, "It is best that we leave them together to rest."

"Yes…of course." Solomon headed to the door with Nathan. He took one last look on the elder queen before finally closing the door.

* * *

_See? There are more parts for Solomon now. I enjoyed this chapter very much and I hope, though I haven't fulfilled everyone's expectations, that you still enjoyed reading this._

_There might be some delays with the updating and I just want to let you know. But please bear with me. I'm trying to work on the chapters I've already made and it's quite a hassle to change them. _

…_Men do I hate school or what. So many freakingly senseless homework and projects and activities and the like…_

_Oh well. Review please._


	7. Chapter 7: Acquaintance

_And here's a chapter with Kai. It's pretty boring, but I think the last part may lighten up your hopes. I was in a dreadful hurry trying to write this because of the freakingly annoying—and senseless—homework and the like…_

_Well, whatever._

_

* * *

_

Chapter VII

Acquaintance

…

"_Kai," Saya called as they were walking home from school._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_I'm quite hungry," Saya replied. "Could we stop by the grocery?"_

"_Again?" Kai asked. "I just treated you some ice cream a while ago haven't I?"_

"_But it was too sweet," Saya reasoned. She looked up at him. "Please?"_

"_Oh all right," Kai sighed. "You're so hopeless, you know that?"_

"_Thanks, Kai," Saya said happily. "You're the best!"_

"_As long as it would calm your stomach," Kai said with a smile._

_Saya pouted. "You're so mean"_

"Kai."

"_I was just kidding," Kai said._

"Kai."

"_Hey, I see the grocery!" Saya exclaimed and headed for the shop._

"_No need to run, Saya," Kai said gently. "The store isn't going to run or anything."_

"…you imbecile."

_Saya ran up to the entrance. She waved at him. "Hurry up! You're so slow."_

"_All right, all right. Just don't be so impatient." He calmly walked up beside Saya._

"Kai… Wake up."

"_You're such a slowpoke," Saya teased. "C'mon." She hurried inside._

"_Hey, I said don't be on a rush. I'll buy whatever you want, okay?"_

"_Hurry up then."_

"_Geez…" Kai said. He was about to enter the shop._

…

Light suddenly flashed, almost blinding him. Kai's eyes snapped open. "Huh?"

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," a voice said sarcastically. It was no other than Mao.

Dazed, Kai sat up. Sunlight poured through the windows. "What the heck? Close the shutters, will you?"

"Not unless you get your lousy butt off from the bed," Mao answered. She was standing just beside him.

Kai rubbed his eyes and yawned. Then he realized something. "Hey! How in the world did you get in my room?" he demanded.

"You were stupid enough to leave it unlocked," Mao replied.

"Oh."

Mao leaned toward him.

"Will you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

There was a moment of silence.

"You're so feakingly close to me."

Mao had leaned forward to Kai and their faces were close. Mao did not seem to mind, considering she was the one who made the move.

"Get off the bed."

"Get away from me," Kai returned.

"Touché." Mao stood up straight. "C'mon. I cooked you breakfast."

"Cooked what…?"

"Breakfast." Mao looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"You cook?" It was only then that Kai noticed she was holding a spatula in one hand.

"Is something the matter?" Mao asked.

"No…" Kai scratched his head. "Not really."

-ns-

"_This _was not what I expected," Kai muttered. He stared down at his plate, which contained two messed-up eggs and a small burnt strip of what used to be bacon.

"By breakfast, Mao, I meant something that was _edible _to a human," he said.

"But it _is _edible!" Mao exclaimed.

"What are these anyway?" Kai poked the darkened yellow yolk which spilled out messily.

"They're eggs!" Mao answered. "And that thing below is bacon…well, it _used _to be bacon."

"Mao…" Kai began.

"I woke up early just to cook you something. See? I even arranged it to form a nice, friendly smiley face to cheer you up."

"For some reason, it just freaks me out," Kai answered.

"No, it does not!"

"It does."

"Fine." Mao turned frowned. "I just wanted to be helpful for once. Forget it. I might kill you if you eat this." She was clearly disappointed. "I'll just throw it away." She was about to reach for the plate. Kai suddenly caught her wrist.

"I'll eat it."

"Huh?"

"I'll eat it," Kai repeated.

"But you just said—"

"Forget what I said. I take it all back." Mao stared at him in surprise. "You tried your best and woke up early just to cook me something. It would be a waste to throw it all away."

"If…if you say so." That was all Mao could say.

Kai got his fork and slowly cut a small piece of the egg. He brought it close to his mouth. As he did, Mao watched him carefully.

Kai gulped and took a bite. The food struck him like a blow. _Crap! This tastes even worse than Riku's cooking! _He chewed, his expression clearly indicating his strong dislike to what he was eating. Then he swallowed and it seemed like a relief to finally take the food in. But it wasn't over yet.

"Is it okay?" Mao asked anxiously.

"It…" Kai gave a wry smile. "It's delicious."

"Are you sure? You're lying."

"No, I'm not!" Kai answered quickly. "See? I love it." He took another bite. His expression quickly changed. He felt like vomiting though it was only his second bite.

His body refused to take in any more food, but he continued to gulp everything down, even when the food he was eating tasted horrible. He did not know what Mao had added to make it _this _bad. After eating everything, he chugged down a whole glass of water and slammed it on the table, panthing.

"Was it good?" Mao was worried. She knew Kai had forced himself to eat everything just so he could not disappoint her. However, at the same time, she was amazed to know that he was _this _sensitive to other people's feelings. And it was only now that she had witnessed such.

"It was great." Kai tried to keep his smile. His insides were convulsing and he felt sick. The food which he had eaten settled uneasily in his stomach.

"You're lying again."

"I'm not, really," Kai insisted.

"Where going nowhere with this," Mao stated.

"Well, anyways," Kai stood up. "I'm going to my room for a while. Thanks for the food." He soon left.

"I wonder what made him feel so…different," Mao thought as she cleaned the mess.

-ns-

Kai was in his room. He got his coat and placed his gun—which was once George's—securely strapped to his belt. Afterwards, he did some of his personal necessities, arranged his bed and went out.

"Where are the others, by the way?" Kai inquired

"David and Lewis went out to check on something, Julia told me nothing of where she went, and that bastard Okamura is somewhere doing, well, some investigating," Mao answered.

"I see." Kai headed for the door, holding behind him his coat. "I'm leaving now."

"Where are you going?" Mao asked.

"I'm going throughout the city…to see if I could find any trace of Saya." Kai opened the door.

"Oh." She forced a smile. "Please be careful."

"I will." Kai waved with the back of his hand. "'Later." He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

_He still won't stop his search for Saya, _Mao thought when she was the only person left. _Well, that's the Kai I know._

-ns-

Kai went down the stairs and soon was outside the building. He looked around. There were so many people outside by then and the streets were already teeming with several vehicles. _Where should I search through first? _he asked himself. Without coming up with any particular areas, he decided that he'd just walk and see where his feet would lead him to.

It has been months since Saya was kidnapped by Diva and her chevalier which Kai soon learned was named Solomon. All throughout the weeks, they searched endlessly. David, Lewis and Julia were busy with other matters which concerned Cinque Fleche's never-ending schemes on Delta 67. More chiropterans were appearing in the streets of the city. And yet, despite the growing numbers of the creatures, strangely, at some nights, they would find strangers fight the chiropterans themselves. The bodies were always taken away by two suspicious vehicles and all traces of the previous slaughter completely vanish. This was one thing David and the rest were currently investigating on.

"Damn bastards," Kai muttered under his breath, after imagining how Saya was easily carried off by her very own enemies. "Once I find this 'Solomon Goldsmith' David told me about, I'd be sure to finish him off myself."

-ns-

Haji appeared on the highest building in the city. He surveyed his surroundings. The people below seemed no bigger than ants. He tried to use his chiropteran instincts to reach out to Saya. But to no avail. _The distance set between her and I must be too far apart for me to sense her presence, _Haji thought.

"Saya…" Haji said under his breath. He had waited thirty, long years for Saya's awakening. And now, his queen was torn away from him so easily. Now, she was under the mercy of her captors and Diva herself. What would they do to her? That was once thing Haji had pondered on for the past few months. However, he was sure that they would not kill her for Diva could have done so, but instead had taken Saya away. The only thing that bothered Haji was _what _exactly Diva was doing by now or what she was planning for Saya. She would not kill Saya, but she could still harm her through other ways. The thought alone was disturbing.

It has been quite long since that fateful day and the days of searching for Saya had stretched into weeks, and eventually into months. But the time spent, though long, hardly even mattered to Haji. His hope and belief that Saya would be saved did not waver and he continued on restlessly. He did not doubt anything and though he was filled with hope, his exterior showed nothing of such.

_I will find you no matter how long or how hard I'll have to search. Even when 'they' give up, I myself shall continue on. Wherever you are, in the darkest cave or in the most dangerous place, I will hear your call and I shall come. This separation is but a challenge, a challenge I will not hold back from. I expect the same courage from you, Saya…_

Haji stood motionless in the wind, like a statue that was to watch over forever. As the wind died away, the chevalier blurred out of sight.

-ns-

_What now? _Kai looked around. He was in front of a large store. _This was where that Solomon guy or whatever dropped Mao. I don't see him anywhere, not even since the time Saya was taken away. Oh hell._

He went to one of the food stalls and bought himself a sandwich. He walked down the street, carefully watching every person he passed by. He was trying to identify the man named Solomon, the person who took his sister away, trying to see if any of the descriptions he heard about the chevalier matched any of the people he came across with. Mao had described him quite distinctively so Kai was able to picture the chevalier's looks.

'_Charming' she says, _Kai thought with a snort of ridicule as he remembered the words Mao used to describe him. _Ha! What a joke. That imbecile is no better from the stray brutes I see around here. If I get my hands on him, I'll be sure to make him regret taking Saya away like that. And Diva, too. _An image of Diva flashed in his mind. She resembled Saya very much, he observed. _That whore. If she dares make Saya do something stupid, I'd make sure she pays for it. _Kai held the gun which was hidden secretly in his pocket, making sure it was still there. _They'll all pay. If they make Saya cry, I swear, I'd rip all of them to little shreds…_

Kai was well-aware of the capabilities of his enemies. He knew they were very much stronger than humans, even _feeding _on one as a means of nourishment, which proved their strength as chiropterans. But now, he was daring enough to face any of them. Had he known where Saya was kept away in, he'd head there and shoot every one of those he would catch sight of without hesitation. He'd kill without guilt. To him, the only future that awaited Diva and her chevaliers, including the little 'pets' they have created out of Delta 67, was death. That was their one and only fate. And that was what Kai wanted so badly to give them.

Kai headed to the park. He chose a suitable spot where he could observe most of the comings and goings in the area. Leaning back on a bench, he started to eat his sandwich. As he was chewing on his food, he watched the children play happily in the slide and swings. Some were playing 'tag' only to be scolded by their parents for playing rough games. Kai smiled slightly, after remembering the times when he, Saya, Riku and George, their father, were playing 'catch' in the park.

Kai stayed there for quite some time. Afterwards, he noticed a strangely hooded stranger head for the swings. Almost nobody else noticed this strange visitor, except for Kai. The minutes stretched into an hour and most of the children were gone. The clouds were beginning to darken ominously, giving signs of heavy rain. (Fortunately, Kai was able to bring a folding-umbrella.) The park was soon deserted and not a soul could be seen. Still, the hooded stranger made no attempt to leave.

It soon began to rain. Large drops of the heavens pelted down heavily on the city. The stranger still remained in the swing, not even seeming to notice the sudden change in the weather.

-ns-

The stranger was soaked with rain, however paid no heed to the surroundings. Suddenly, the rain seemed to stop. The downcast eyes soon met with a pair of friendly, dark eyes. Kai was standing in front of the stranger, his umbrella shielding them from the rain.

"Hey," Kai said mildly. "You shouldn't get yourself wet or else you'll catch a cold." The eyes from under the hood fixed him a cold stare.

"Giving me that look isn't enough to drive me away," Kai continued. "It's best if we find shelter while it's still raining."

"Leave me alone," the stranger replied. The voice was surprisingly feminine.

"I can't just leave you here, can I?"

"Yes you can."

"I can but I won't."

"It's none of your business. Please stay out of it."

"I'm not even getting involved in anything. I only want you to be under shelter."

The stranger's eyes softened gradually. A sigh escaped from under the hood. "Fine."

"Good." Kai smiled. Both headed for shelter where not much people were staying.

"So, what's your name?" Kai asked the stranger as they were leaning against the wall, waiting for the rain to stop.

"I…" The stranger hesitated. "Irene."

"I'm Kai Miyagusuku." Kai studied Irene carefully. "Why are you dressed like that? Is there something that you have to hide?"

There was a pause. Irene had still been wearing her hood but had decided to remove it, revealing her face. "It's nothing in particular," she replied.

"Then why?"

"We fear the sun."

"The sun? I don't understand." The thought made Kai wonder but he tried to observe tact in his questions. "Is there something in the sun that harms you?"

"The sun means death for us," Irene replied flatly. "We're not like you hum—" she suddenly stopped.

Kai wondered why she did not mention the last word completely. He already knew what it was though. _Humans, _he thought.

The rain had already stopped.

"I'm sorry but I have to take my leave now." Irene stood up and wore back her hood.

Kai stood up. "Hey, wait—" In a blink of an eye, Irene was gone before he could even finish his sentence. _Where'd she go? _Kai looked around. _And she disappeared…so quickly._

-ns-

Kai was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He was in his room and had arrived at the apartment two hours ago. _Irene… _he thought. _"We fear the sun." _That was what he remembered her saying. The more he pondered about her, the more the thought that had been bothering him became much more convincing. _Is it possible that there are other forms of chiropterans?_

A loud knock startled him.

"Who's there?" Kai asked irritably.

"It's Mao," came a reply from outside.

"I don't have time for anything, Mao," Kai said.

"I wouldn't bother you at this time, Kai," Mao stated. "Just open the door and get your butt out here 'cause David and Lewis want to talk to you."

"David and Lewis?" Kai sat up from his bed.

"You heard me darn well."

A few minutes later, Kai was in the living room with David and Lewis. "Where's Julia?" he asked as soon as he sat on the sofa opposite them.

"Julia's currently working on a file we've assigned her to investigate on," Lewis replied.

"I see." Kai rubbed the back of head. "So what was this that you wanted to tell me?"

"After months of investigating in this area, we found reports of two dead bodies being recovered," David began. He reached into his pocket and took out something.

"I don't see anything unusual with that," Kai said.

"I'm not even done yet." David placed small photos of two young, teenage girls on the table. Kai bent to pick them up. "Those are the pictures of the victims. If you would notice, both appear to be in their early 20's, if not being less than three years younger."

Mao had overheard the conversation from her room and had decided she'd join them. She appeared beside Kai and sat alongside him. "May I take a look?"

"Mao," David said firmly. "I did not give you any permission to interfere. This is not something that you should know about."

"It's not like I'm going to get hurt or anything," Mao pointed out.

"What was in their deaths that caught your attention?" Kai asked.

"Apparently, after the bodies were recovered, they were found out to be completely drained of blood. The bodies were taken away by agents of whom we identified as part of the Cinque Fleche and would not be returned to the families who asked back the corpse of their daughters. By now, the media should have been able to report about these recovered bodies. However, we also found out that the military were trying to cover it all up through the use of false reports."

"And do you know what the reports are?" Lewis asked Kai.

"No. What are they?"

"Instead of reporting on what really happened, they say the victims were killed by certain murderers whom they had to identify," Lewis answered.

"They falsely accuse well-known or otherwise any other killers," David continued.

"Exactly where were these bodies found?' Kai asked.

"It was in a deserted area far from any city or any other place of inhabitation."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kai said as he studied the pictures.

"Look at the back of each photo," David instructed. Kai did. "As you can see there, there is a date at the upper left which indicates the guessed day the victim was killed and directly below it is the date the victim was found."

"This was…five months ago," Kai said.

"And Saya was been missing for exactly the same number of months," David said.

"What are you trying to prove here?" Kai suddenly demanded.

"We're not trying to prove anything to you, Kai," Lewis said mildly. "We just want you to know that this may lead to the whereabouts of Saya."

"Considering that they came in pairs," David said. "One may have well been fed on by Diva, the other—"

"Saya would never do that!" Kai cut in quickly.

"Chevaliers and their queens only require one human to satiate their hunger in a day," David answered.

"Then perhaps a chevalier could have—"

"Chevaliers rarely feed on humans, compared to their queens who do it in regular basis."

"And it seems the victims were killed at almost exactly the same time," Lewis joined in sadly.

"No…" Kai stared at them in disbelief. "No! Saya would never do something as wrong as that!"

"She's a chiropteran, however you see it. When the pressure is too great, sometimes her instincts unwittingly get the better of her," David stated dryly.

"And with Diva around to add up to the pressure…"

"Saya will always be Saya," Kai ground out.

"Saya will always be whom she chooses to be, Kai," Lewis said seriously. "As of now, we are starting to have doubts so as to whether or not retrieve her."

"You just can't believe that crap and give up!" Kai said, slamming the photos on the table with a heavy hand.

"We're not giving up yet," David said. "But getting her back is going to be more difficult than what we had expected. Diva may have more chevaliers other than Solomon Goldsmith and Karl Fei-Ong."

"Those damned bastards can't stop me," Kai snarled.

"It is easy to say that than to do it," David said. "You'd be wise not to be too hasty with whatever plans you have in that head of yours."

"Then what's the point of telling me if you don't even want me to take action?" Kai inquired dryly.

"We only decided to tell you this because you have every right to know. Mao was almost killed when she was there. But because Saya willingly placed herself under Diva's command, she was saved. You very well know Saya would not want you to be reckless the way you are."

"And I for my part do not want her to suffer any more from that _whore. _I will not allow _her_ to change Saya into a monster like as herself." Kai stood up.

"And where do you plan to go?"

"Where else?" Kai returned curtly. "I'm going out to find Saya."

"Kai, it's still raining outside," Mao said anxiously.

"Rain won't stop me from doing what I have to do." Kai head for the door and went out.

-ns-

"Look what you made him do," Mao said, indignant.

"What now?" Lewis asked. "It seems we have been a bit too sudden. It shouldn't have gone this way."

"No, it shouldn't have," David answered. "But all the same. He will still be reckless even when we try to show him how to do things."

"That's the real Kai Miyagusuku, all right," Mao said.

"Truly," David agreed.

"Haji has not yet received this information, correct?" Lewis said.

"Yes."

"Should we tell him?"

"He's not here and we can't find him," David replied. "We'll just let 'him' do it for us."

"He'll do it for sure," Lewis agreed with a slight smile.

"Does anyone want coffee?" Mao asked. Both men turned their attention to her.

* * *

_There we go. I think I ended the chapter too quickly. But I guess I had to 'cause I couldn't think of any other important things._

_By the way, Irene and the rest of the Schiff haven't shown themselves to Kai and the rest, right? The only ones who know are Saya and Haji. So I guess I'll have to add them to the story 'cause they'll play important roles later on._

_And about the romance part that everyone else is anticipating…you see, I'm not really into love and all those stuff. But, hey, since you guys want a love story, I'll do my best into making one. Don't have high expectations, though. I might cause disappointment in the end._

_Review please!_


	8. Chapter 8: Guest

_So we're back with Saya and Diva. Please enjoy this chapter even if I made it in a dreadful hurry._

_

* * *

_

Chapter VIII

Guest

"I'll just be going out for a little fresh air," Saya told Diva and Nathan, finding no other thing else to do inside the house. Nathan was busy reading a book. Diva was 'playing' was playing with her toys. Amshel and Solomon were at another private room.

"Where is onee-chan going?" Diva asked as she ripped the head of a doll off.

"I'm just outside," Saya replied, holding the doorknob.

"You won't leave?" Diva asked curiously.

"No, of course not," Saya said with a smile.

"You better not."

-ns-

Saya was enjoying the view outside. Countless stars dotted the night sky. She breathe in the cool, fresh air as she listened to the toads and crickets. It gave her a sense of peace and refreshed her mind.

Sudden movement from the nearby alarmed Saya. A large red stake headed unexpectedly for her. Before she could even think of what to do, her body automatically took action. She was able to dodge the stake as it flew past her, inches from her head.

"Bravo," a familiar voice said. She heard someone clapping.

"Phantom," Saya said to herself, recognizing the voice at once. She stared hard at the darkness before her. From the gloomy shadows, Karl appeared. His right arm was in its chiropteran form, bulging with enormous muscles. From his hand, a large red stake protruded, similar to the one which was directed at her moments ago.

"It's a shame you were able to dodge it," Karl said, advancing toward her without hesitation.

Saya stepped back, never taking her eyes from the chevalier. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I came to check if the news is true."

"What news?"

"Your decision to join Diva instead of going against her, of course," Karl answered. The stake at his hand lengthened dangerously. Saya stared hard at it.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Karl asked, noticing the alarm in Saya's eyes as she looked at his grotesque arm. "I finally have another arm to replace the one you took away from me."

"I don't regret taking your arm at all," Saya returned.

"Really now?" Karl's features grew fierce. "Maybe I should make you go through the same experience so you could understand me." He raised his chiropteran arm, directing it at her. Immediately, the stake shot out of his hand, heading for her.

Saya dodged it easily. "I haven't done anything to you! I took your arm away, yes. But it was your fault. Besides, I'm with Diva now. There's no more reason for us to fight."

"No reason to fight?" Karl repeated and laughed. "I will not put my past behind me. You may have joined my queen's side, but that gives me no reason for not killing you."

"I have no intention of fighting against you," Saya said dryly. She stood up straight instead of bracing herself from any more possible attacks from Karl to prove her point.

"Will you not at least dance with me to commemorate my arrival?" Karl asked.

"I've had enough celebrations with Diva," Saya stated.

A vein throbbed on Karl's temple. "My sweetest Saya, I order you to dance with me!"

"Stop this nonsense!" Saya said.

Karl ignored her cries and shot more of his spikes at her. Each spike was actually crystallized blood from his arm, forming into sharp, dangerous weapons. Saya was able to miss most of them. But two were able to create long, deep scratched across her shoulder and leg. Saya grimaced.

"That's it, Saya! Continue to dance!" Karl said in excitement. Within moments, he was before her, holding her close to him.

"Stay away from me!" Saya struggled to break free from his grasp. But her constant struggles hardly even mattered to the chevalier.

"Won't you be mine, sweetest Saya?" Karl asked, his mouth close to her ear.

"No!" Saya struggled more violently. "Let go of me!" she yelled in indignation and disgust.

"That's quite enough, Karl," a voice said calmly.

Karl spun around to see Solomon a little way ahead of him.

"It has been long before I have seen you again," Karl said with a smile.

"Solomon! Tell him to let go of me!" Saya struggled to say.

"You heard what our queen has said," Solomon told Karl. "Let go of her." Something glinted in his eyes.

"And if I won't?" Karl challenged.

"You'll be answering to me," another voice, haughty and full of authority, joined in. Diva was standing beside Solomon. Amshel and Nathan were there as well.

"My, almost everyone is here to see me," Karl said.

"Karl, let go of Saya now. Only I am to do what I want with her so you could get your filthy hands of my onee-chan," Diva said nonchalantly.

"Of course, my queen." Karl obediently broke Saya from his grasp.

Saya fell on her knees. She grasped her shoulder. The wound had already healed.

"Onee-chan, did he hurt you?" Diva asked.

"No…I'm okay." Saya weakly got to her feet. Solomon assisted her.

"Karl, what brings you here?" Amshel inquired grimly.

"I came to pay a visit to both my queens," Karl answered.

The frown on Amshel's face remained. Nathan smirked.

"Come now, the both of you," Nathan said, ushering the two siblings inside. Only Solomon, Amshel and Karl were left outside.

-ns-

"Your arrival was not expected," Amshel stated dryly.

"I intended it to be so," Karl replied.

"You have other duties in Vietnam, do you not?"

"I do. But I have to see Diva once in a while. After all, it is she who serves as my inspiration."

Amshel's eyes narrowed dangerously at Karl. "I do hope you be aware of your place among us brothers. Otherwise, I would have to make you remember myself."

Karl was taken aback. He bit his lip in frustration. "I told you, I only came here to see Diva."

"Does Diva even want to see you?" Amshel shot back dryly, though he still retained his composure.

"Whether she does not want to see me or not is hers alone to decide. But I for my part shall see her whenever I wish. I _am _her chevalier and I feel it is a duty for me to check on her welfare once in a while."

"She is doing quite well, as you have seen. Especially now that Saya has joined her and serves her willingly. Will that knowledge suffice?"

"It will not."

"I suggest you return now to your duties back to where you belong."

"My true duties are to protect Diva and where my queen is, that too, is where I belong."

"Okay, you two. It is best that we enter the house for now," Solomon said calmly, trying to settle the heated argument which was arising quickly between the two. "We've had enough matters to deal with. Let's not trouble ourselves any further."

Amshel cast Karl a sharp glance before entering the house. Karl watched him as her entered the house.

"Come now, Karl. You've just arrived. Causing any more problems wouldn't lighten our situation, don't you think?"

"No. It wouldn't," Kai answered plainly.

"Good." Solomon smiled warmly. "Let's get inside then."

-ns-

"That's what onee-chan gets for leaving me inside the house," Diva said as Saya took her clothes off in their room to change into new ones.

"I was even hardly five meters away from the doorstep," Saya answered.

"Even so. You still left me inside nonetheless," Diva replied.

"Why is 'he' here anyway?" Saya asked, shifting topics.

"How should I know?"

"You don't even know he was coming?"

"Obviously not," Diva answered. "I don't care about him anyway."

Saya was surprised. "You…don't care?"

Diva faced her, bored and not seeming the bit bothered. "I don't. Does it bother you?"

"No…it's just…"

"Or are you suddenly interested in him?"

"Yes…" Saya answered absentmindedly. She thought of the question for a moment. "Wait. _What?_"

"So onee-chan likes Karl?" Diva said in amusement.

"I do not!"

"But you just said you did."

"Because I wasn't even thinking of what you asked!"

"Liar," Diva teased.

"Am not!" Saya said angrily.

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Diva sang.

"Oh for goodness' sake…" Saya rubbed her temples.

"What, you finally give up and admit you like him?"

"_No._" Saya folded the clothes she had discarded. "Why in the world would I fall in love with a creep like him? And he even tried to kill me when we just met a while ago."

"That's his way of saying 'hi'," Diva stated matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't like to live with someone with _that _manner of greeting."

"Well, whatever. You could have him. He's so boring anyway," Diva said. She laid herself back into the pillows.

"I'm turning off the lights," Saya said.

"Whatever."

The lights flicked off. Only the lampshade was left on to provided small light. Saya got unto the bed beside Diva. The blanket felt cool against her skin. Beside her, Diva giggled.

"What's so funny now?" Saya inquired.

"Nothing."

"Good, because you know, I really feel like slee—" She was unable to continue because a pillow unexpectedly covered her face. "Hey!"

"Got you!" Diva said playfully.

"Diva," Saya removed the pillow from her face. "I'm tired an—" Another pillow, bigger than the previous one, landed on her face before she could finish her sentence.

"Okay, that's _it_." Saya removed the pillow from her face and sat up. "You want a fight, eh? Then I'll—" Another pillow met with her face. Diva burst into cruel laughter.

"You're such a loser!" Diva cried between laughs.

"'Loser' you say?" Saya was holding the biggest pillow in the bed. "Let's see who's the loser now." Diva flung another pillow at her, but Saya was able to dodge it. She watched the pillow land beside her. "Ha! Missed me!" The moment she glanced back at Diva, another pillow hit her directly in the face.

"Okay. That is so _it_." Saya removed the pillow. "Come here!"

"Eeek! No!"

"You little imp!" Saya lunged at her. She tickled her at the sides, one of the most vulnerable parts of Diva that she had discovered. Both girls wrestled with each other like little kids. But Diva proved stronger and it was Saya who was soon pinned to the bed, 'suffering' from Diva's tickling.

"Okay! I—" Saya was unable to breathe properly because of her laughter. "I yield!"

"What? I didn't hear you." Diva tickled Saya further.

"I—I give up! I swear!"

"I _can't _hear you!" Diva sang.

"You win!"

"Good." Diva stopped her tickling.

Saya was gasping for breath. "'Attacking' first wasn't such a good idea…"

"Of course it wasn't," Diva interrupted.

"Oh _brother_. This is so unfair," Saya muttered.

"On second thought," Diva continued. "I should like to continue my tickling. I wasn't done having my fun yet."

"I didn't even say anything!" Saya protested.

"I'm tired now. It's boring when I get tired." Diva settled comfortably in the bed.

"Look at the mess we've created," Saya said.

"Who cares?"

"I was just saying."

They remained silent for a while.

"Diva…?"

"What?"

"Karl…he intends to kill me or do something to me. I could already see it in his eyes."

Diva easily understood Saya's fear. "Don't worry," she assured. Her comforting made Saya feel uneasy all the more for it was unusual for Diva to provide comfort. "Only I could do so to you when I feel like it. None of them would dare touch you."

"…what?"

"Forget what I said. Let's just sleep for now. And don't bother me anymore."

"Okay."

The two fell asleep not any sooner.

-ns-

"How could you be so sure that Saya is on Diva's side?" Karl asked.

"She has stayed with Diva long enough to prove her true intentions," Solomon replied. The two were having a light drinking of wine.

"I still don't find that truly convincing."

"What part is not convincing to you?" Solomon asked.

"Everything."

"Really now?" Solomon smiled.

"What's so funny?" Karl was frowning.

"Nothing. It's just that you do seem to believe in something which had already proven itself."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"I wasn't trying to imply anything."

"So what's so funny there?"

"There you go again." Solomon chuckled.

"Please stop it."

"I will." Instantly, Solomon was serious again, though a small smile remained on his lips.

A few minutes later, Amshel joined them. However, there was an obvious distance between him and Karl.

"Seriously…" Solomon sighed.

"How have are things with the experiments I have assigned you?" Amshel asked Karl.

"They have gone as planned," Karl answered dutifully.

"They would very well be useful for the following concerts we have arranged for Diva," Solomon remarked.

"My, my. I am so tired of waiting this long," a voice complained dramatically. All turned to see Nathan leaning back on the sofa.

"Where have you been?" Amshel asked.

"I just went to check on the two," Nathan answered casually.

"How are they?"

"Doing fine as they usually are," Nathan said. "They're asleep…though I just wonder why their mattress is in quite a mess."

"They probably had a game again," Solomon sighed.

"As expected," Nathan agreed.

"Everyone seems to be at ease with Saya," Karl stated dryly. Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Why shouldn't we?" Nathan asked nonchalantly.

"Saya is an enemy, in fact, the one and only reason why we exist. In any moment, she can harm our queen without our knowing," Karl continued. Solomon sighed.

"Why bring that up now?" Nathan asked.

"Because things can change easily."

"Saya is incapable of such actions," Amshel stated. "Even when she still has those intentions running through her mind, it is far too impossible for her to execute such schemes. Diva can protect herself."

"What have you been feeding Saya?"

"She receives the same nourishment Diva does."

"And so I go to this point: with you giving her blood on daily basis, you would increase her capabilities as a queen, therefore making her a more dangerous threat to Diva. If Saya realizes this, she _will _soon be going against every one of us."

"That may be so," Solomon agreed. "But with five of us brothers, including our very own queen, it will not be difficult to defeat her or put a stop to whatever plans she has."

"There's the Red Shield," Karl pointed out.

"The Red Shield is but a small struggling group of humans. They hardly would be threat," Nathan said.

"What makes you so sure that they are irrelevant?" Karl argued.

"Karl, you don't have to be so serious," Solomon said mildly.

"And why not?" Karl returned.

"Tell me, Karl," Amshel began. "Why do you bring up this matter?"

"Because I am concerned."

"Concerned?" Amshel raised an eyebrow. "For who exactly?"

"For Diva of course."

"'For Diva', you say." Amshel rubbed his chin.

"Is there anything wrong with being concerned for my queen?"

"You are not the only one whose concern is on Diva," Amshel said dryly. "How about I ask you this: what exactly is your motive for bringing up this kind of matter?"

"I want to protect Diva!" Karl snarled.

"We all understand your hatred toward Saya," Amshel said. "But that gives you no reason to kill her."

"I never even mentioned Saya!"

"No, you did not," Amshel agreed. "But in any case, you were trying to stress not Diva's safety, but Saya herself, deliberately making us think that she would be a threat, which I acknowledge she really is. You were trying to point out that something be done to her and you did so to make it seem like it is your duty alone to execute punishment."

Karl was rendered speechless.

"So predictable…" Nathan sighed nonchalantly.

"Saya deserves to be punished!" Karl suddenly burst out in desperation. "Was it not my duty to punish her?"

"It was, _once._ But that is no more." Amshel stood up.

"Do you plan to leave so soon?" Solomon inquired.

"I shall make arrangements for our departure to London," Amshel said.

"Finally, a new place we could stay in," Nathan said, slumping into his seat.

"You would be wise to head back to your other duties as soon as possible," Amshel said as he turned to leave.

"I have things under control," Karl replied.

"Things should better be." Amshel said. Before he left, he said telepathically to Karl, _"You would not dare create trouble when I'm gone. Especially to Saya."_

"_Do you care so much for Saya?"_ Karl shot back.

"_No. It is a mere duty. For Diva's sake, she shall be protected."_

A slight smile danced on Karl's lips. _"So you too think that she is a threat."_

"_Only foolish people would view her as a true ally."_

"_Does that include Diva?"_

"_No. Diva views Saya differently. Her standpoint is very much different from us chevaliers."_

"_If Saya starts to become rebellious, what will you do?"_

"_Then I will give you the permission of killing her when the needs be. But I remind you that you are only to do so when Saya really does intend to harm Diva. If she does nothing, then don't try to do anything foolish as well."_

"_I will not. You have my word."_

"_Very well. I shall leave everything to you."_

Amshel disappeared after a few minutes.

"Such a busy, busy man," Nathan mused.

"Indeed…which reminds me." Solomon stood up. "I have to go and check on something."

"Go wherever you wish to go," Nathan said, picking up a book beside him.

"Karl, I expect you to observe restraint," Solomon said mildly to Karl. Karl merely grunted as a response.

"Don't worry," Nathan assured. "I'll watch over him and see to it that he'll be a good boy."

"I'm not some child you could order around," Karl growled.

"I entrust him to you." Solomon was gone within moments.

Silence took over the area.

"I hear you have another arm to replace your lost one," Nathan said as he read from the book.

"Yes."

"A Schiff's hand, eh? How cute."

"Don't insult me."

"I wasn't insulting you," Nathan replied. "I was busy reading this book if you must know."

-ns-

Saya was resting her hand on Diva's hair while Diva herself clung to Saya's waist. Both were still sleeping soundly. While the two lay peacefully in bed, Nathan and Karl were watching over them in silence.

"Look at them. Aren't they the most beautiful beings ever to exist in this world?"

"Indeed." Karl studied the two queens, though he was concentrating more on Saya. "The most beautiful beings…" he repeated in awe and wonder.

"Our perfect goddesses," Nathan said, throwing Karl a glance of amusement. "We are fortunate to hold such an honorable duty to protect them."

"No human can find the same happiness. Only we chevaliers can have that one joy."

"That is why we exist. We exist to protect them….and not to _harm_ them, am I correct?"

Karl gave Nathan a piercing look. Nathan did stress a certain part in his sentence and it was obvious that he was trying to say something.

"I was just saying," Nathan said with a relaxed shrug. "No offense intended."

"No offense taken," Karl retorted.

-ns-

Saya's eyes opened slowly. She yawned and rubbed one eye, looking around sleepily. Her eyes fell on Nathan and she did not seem to mind. But when she finally saw Karl standing next to him, she froze.

"Good morning, my queen," Nathan greeted cheerily.

"Good…morning, Nathan," Saya said, finally seeming to recover from her surprise. She was obviously disturbed by Karl's presence, considering the events that had occurred between her and him the previous night.

"Was our presence the cause of your awakening?" Nathan asked.

A small smile lit Saya's sullen features. "No. I woke up on my own."

"Should we leave you?"

"I don't mind." Saya sat up slowly, waking up the younger queen. "Oh, I'm sorry for waking you up, Diva," she apologized.

"Onee-chan?" Diva yawned drowsily.

"Yes?"

Diva leaned on her. "I'm hungry..."

"We shall fetch your meals right away," Nathan said dutifully.

"Please do," Saya said, smiling apologetically. From the corner of her eye, she saw Karl giving her a hard, angered look. The look made her feel uneasy, but she hid her feelings before anyone else could notice.

-ns-

"He's making me feel uneasy," Saya told Diva as they sat side-by-side on the sofa in the living room.

"He wouldn't dare harm you," Diva replied.

"You think so?"

"Trust me. I'd kill him myself if he would lay a single finger on you." She rested her head on Saya's shoulder. "But are you sure you don't want him? He can be a bit exciting at times."

"Just what do you mean by that?" Saya asked, surprised by the term 'exciting' that Diva had used to describe him.

Diva giggled maliciously. "Why don't you see for yourself rather than asking me those senseless questions?"

"Because he seems to merely be threatening my life," Saya answered flatly.

"That's the way he is," Diva replied. "I don't see anything wrong with him. It's all normal to me."

"'Normal'?" Saya repeated. "You call _that _normal? His ways are twisted to what I see is now perverted."

"That is his way of expressing his feelings," Diva stated.

"How can you say that?"

Diva giggled again, one which made the hairs on the back of Saya's neck stand up. "I just know."

"You know," Saya began. "I'm not sure if it's just me, but you sometimes just scare me." She was daring enough to say those words.

Diva laughed harshly. She hugged Saya around the waist.

"Did I say something funny?" Saya asked curiously.

"No. Otherwise, I would have killed you."

"Oh."

Just as the two were about to get into another conversation, Karl and Nathan had brought in two young girls. Diva licked her lips and stood up. "This is going to be a wonderful meal," she said. She turned to Saya. "It's a 'bon appétit' for you, onee-chan. I'm giving you the younger one because she's tastier."

"Uh…sure," Saya could only say. She stood up as well.

* * *

_Review please._


	9. Chapter 9: Searching Part I

_Here's another chapter with Kai and the rest. Don't get bored! I assure you, it's all going to connect with Saya later on so just give me some time to make the rest of the chapters and arrange them._

_So just seat back comfortably, okay? I don't know where you may be right now while you're reading this, though..._

_

* * *

_

Chapter IX

Searching

-Part I-

"Two young girls, huh?" Kai said to himself. He was thinking about the two photographs of the girls David had shown him days ago. Ever since that day, he was more determined to search for Saya. He dared going far beyond the city. He was even daring enough to leave the city. However, he was soon discovered by David and Lewis before he could even reach for that place. And thus, Kai was watched over more closely, only allowed within a certain perimeter of the city.

"Damn it," he muttered. He was lying on the bed of his room, staring up at the white ceiling. Outside, it was drizzling. It had been raining continuously for days then. And throughout those days, certain thoughts had been going through his mind. He had been completely spaced out. Thoughts of the girls who were killed…thoughts of the mysterious girl named Irene…and most importantly…

"…Saya," Kai said softly.

_What should I do now? The bodies were found in the countryside. Miles away from the houses and close to 'that place'…_

He remembered clearly what had occurred days ago.

"_You said the bodies were found away from human civilization," he told David._

"_Yes," David replied. "They were wrapped in plastic and carelessly thrown along the fields. It had been five months, as I have said earlier, so the bodies were already rotting by then."_

"_Tell me, where were they closest to? Where were the bodies closest to?"_

_David raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Just answer the damn question," Kai growled._

"_They were closest…" David hesitated. "…to the 'Zoo'."_

"'_The Zoo'?" Kai repeated. "You mean…the place where…"_

"…_Saya was born," David finished for him. "Yes. That place."_

"_Then that could mean…"_

"_Don't get your hopes too high, Kai," David reminded. "It doesn't mean that just because Saya and Diva were last seen there, they would be easily tracked down."_

"_What then?" Kai cut in. "So you're not going to do anything about it? So you're just going to lay off that place?"_

"_No; I never mentioned that," David answered calmly. "Now that we have our clue that could possibly lead to Saya, then we shall take over things and investigate that area."_

"_What?" Kai burst out in anger. "So I'm going to be left behind?"_

"_It's far too dangerous for a boy such as yourself," David replied._

"_ I'm old enough to know the dangers I'm facing! " Kai asserted. "Would you stop treating me like a child? I can take care of myself!"_

"_Your job was to find the clues to Saya's disappearance," David said. "Since we have found the most reliable clue, we can draw possible conclusions and investigate at once. And we would be doing so _without _the help of a fussy teenager."_

"_Calling me fussy, eh?" Kai jabbed a finger at David. "Listen here! I'm her brother! She's my only family and it is my job to bring her back! It is my right as her brother to partake of this work!"_

"_And we're the members of the Red Shield," David countered dryly. "It is our mission to bring back Saya as well. And it is a command issued by a Red Shield member to have you step back and allow us to do our job."_

"_This isn't fair!" Kai said angrily. "I can't just sit back here while you guys are so close to finding to Saya."_

"_Perhaps it would be best if you would just stay here," Lewis joined in mildly. "You have done quite enough and we could understand what you've been through. So just rest for now and relax."_

"'We understand you' he says," Kai said to himself with a snort of ridicule. "What a lie." He sighed heavily. "This sucks…" He closed his eyes for a moment. _Saya… where the hell are you? Why can't we still find you? Haji has been—_ He realized something. _That's right. Haji doesn't even know yet. No one could tell him…because he hasn't showed himself for months now. _And it was true. A few weeks later, after Saya's disappearance, Haji vanished as well. There were times when Kai would glimpse him at a dark corner, or high up in a building he'd see a lonely silhouette watching him from the edge of the building. He'd see a stranger up ahead or behind him. But before he could even take a step toward that stranger, mysteriously, he'd disappear in the blink of an eye. It proved very much irritating for Kai since the chevalier had chosen to distance himself from them just to search for Saya alone.

_Just because he has all those enormous strength doesn't mean he has to act so independently. _An idea ran through his head. _Maybe I should try to find him today and tell him all about it. Maybe he'd be kind enough to bring me along with him to the 'Zoo'._ _And David and Lewis wouldn't have to know nor would they be able to stop us._ He sat up. _Great work, Kai. Ha! Let's see how long it'll take for them to discover that we had left already before they could take action._

Kai sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, crap. It hurts." He ignored the pain on his nape and got out of his bed. He wore a coat and took out his weapon before exiting the room.

"Finally," Mao said with a sigh of relief as Kai entered the kitchen. "The beast has left its cave."

Kai grunted. He took out a bottle of milk and drank it halfway. Afterwards, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and took the bread from the toaster.

"Where are you going?" Mao asked. "You know David would be angry if he found out you snuck out of the apartment."

"I'm going to find Haji," Kai answered, heading for the door.

"'Haji'? That creepy guy with the big coffin-like case who follows Saya around?"

"Yeah." Kai went out.

The door from one of the rooms opened. Okamura came out, scratching his head and yawning loudly. "What'd I miss?" he asked sleepily.

"Auugh!" Mao crinkled her nose in disgust. "You dog! You stink! Don't tell me you haven't taken a bath these past few days! And it's only last night that you came."

"Come to think of it…" Okamura thought for a moment. "Yep. I haven't…"

"Take your bath!" Mao cried angrily. "You smell heavily of smoke!"

"Hey, hey. Wait just a moment here, 'kay?" Okamura glanced at the door. "Was that your boyfriend just then that went out?"

"Well, yeah."

"He's out to look for Saya?"

"He said he'd look for Haji."

"Saya's servant, eh?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I had been trailing after those guys from the Cinq Fléches," Okamura said. "I found out they're planning to 'transport' their 'sources' of their products to London the following week."

"'Sources of their products'?"

"Yeah. You know what this means?"

"Not really. I'm not allowed to listen to all those conversations David and the rest are having. So I haven't a single clue of what you are talking about."

Okamura rubbed the back of his neck. "In other words, this isn't good."

"Why?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Saya would also be moved to London."

"What?" Mao was shocked. "Then we should tell David!"

"Yes. We should. We have to warn all the folks here before 'that' happens," Okamura agreed. "I shoulda told that kid last night but it turns out he was locking himself in his room."

"David would be here tonight with Lewis and Julia," Mao said. "They said they would discuss something important."

"Well, what perfect timing," Okamura remarked. He took out a can of beer from the refrigerator and headed for his room again. "I'm gonna check my files for a while," he said before closing the door.

"Hey!" Mao called. "Take your bath, you bastard!"

-ns-

It was still drizzling then. The skies were dark and gloomy. None of the people seemed lively either. All were merely getting on with their lives. _Where should I start looking first? _Kai thought. He looked around. Not much people were seen outside. The streets were hardly even filled with vehicles.

_This place is huge_. _How would I be able to see him? And with so many people around… _He only realized something. _I guess my hopes were too high. Things are so hard to put to action… And I rarely see Haji around here. I see him when I don't expect nor intend to see him. And yet when I have to see him, when I'm on the search for him, he doesn't even leave a trace of any sort. _Kai felt foolish. _The only time I get to think things through is the time when I'm on the move…_

Finding no other option, he headed for the park. It was the least expected place where he would find Haji but he did see the chevalier playing his cello once in that place, quickly attracting several passersby to crowd around him in awe and wonder. He doubted he'd see him there, but he just somehow felt like going there.

The park was deserted. Not one person was seen, thus casting a sullen aura in the area. Kai walked down the small path, looking here and there. A small breeze blew by. Kai shivered and tightened his coat around him.

_I guess no one's here… _He was about to leave when he caught sight of that familiar stranger in the same swing, all alone. He was deciding on approaching the stranger, however the stranger stood up and walked away. He was sure it was Irene and he wanted to know where she lived. It was unusual; the feeling he had he could not understand. Irene felt…different. And he wanted to find out why she felt so foreign.

Kai figured he'd follow her around and see where she'd end up. He watched her carefully as she made her way down the street. Occasionally, she'd stare through the windows of the shops she happened to pass by. Awe and wonder reflected in her eyes like that of a young child. She even stared up at the streetlights, as if they were little stars. She gazed at the bouquets of flowers displayed attractively outside a certain shop. When the storeowner came out to greet her, for she mistook her for a customer, Irene ran away.

Kai observed she avoided the people around her as much as possible. He soon forgot his main purpose for going out and that was looking for Haji. He was unaware that he was already following Irene, watching her every move. The latter hardly even noticed she was being followed, for several things had attracted her attention.

It was already evening when Kai saw Irene head away from the city. She slipped down to a dark alley at an abandoned building and a place where less people inhabited. Curious to as why she went to such a place, he unwittingly trailed in after her. As he turned to the corner, he saw a small group of strangers, all mysteriously dressed like Irene in long hooded coats.

"Where were you, Irene?" an impatient voice asked.

"I was just…roaming the city," came a soft reply, one which Kai recognized as Irene's.

"Sightseeing at this time!" the other voice said.

"Karman, enough," another voice broke in mildly.

"So you're with her in this too, huh, Moses?" the other voice, one which was called Karman shot back.

"I'm not," the other, Moses, replied. "We just have to be patient now, okay? Besides, Irene's already here."

"What have you seen, Irene?" a child's voice asked excitedly.

"I've seen several nice things, Lulu," Irene replied gently.

"Aww, not again," a voice sighed.

"Can I come with you next time?" Lulu asked.

"Why, yes."

There were other low voices joining in. The volume of their voices suddenly dropped lower, making it hard for Kai to hear the words they spoke. For a few minutes, he remained there, striving to understand their conversation.

"We've wasted enough time!" Karman interrupted, his voice bursting out in an unexpectedly loud volume. "Is Saya still even here?"

"Saya?" Kai repeated aloud in surprise, enough for all of them to here.

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment. Kai gulped and remained still for a few seconds. _Crap. _He slowly inched away from the alley.

"A human," Karman said in a low voice after sniffing the air.

Kai, realizing that he was in grave danger, suddenly tried to run. But before he could even take another step to escape, the strangers already stood at his side. The others stood opposite him and the rest yet stood at the entrance to the alley. He was completely surrounded.

"He was here all this time," a voice hissed.

"He cannot be allowed to live!"

"He's been eavesdropping on us."

"What shall we do?" another voice asked.

"Kill him."

"No, don't," Irene intervened. Everyone faced her.

"Why not?"

"You can't kill him…" Irene said softly. "He's…my friend." Everyone was stunned for a moment.

"Roaming the city, forgetting your responsibilities and now this!" Karman's voice came through angrily.

"Irene, you know you should not befriend the humans," Moses said. "After all, they're different from us."

"They'll never accept who we are nor allow us to live!" a voice joined in.

"Then there's no other choice. Since he's here, we may at least make the best out of him," Moses decided. "He may serve as supper for tonight."

Kai's eyes widened in shock. The same reaction came from Irene.

"Can I have some of his blood, too?" Lulu's voice joined in.

"Of course, Lulu. You could have the biggest share if you want."

"Wait," Kai said in a trembling voice. Everyone faced him. "You're not human?"

"No; we're not," came an answer.

"You're looking for Saya as well?"

A sudden silence fell among all of them. "You know Saya?"

"Saya's my family," Kai said. "We've been looking for her for months ever since Diva took her away with her chevalier."

"Saya having a human brother?" a voice said. "Impossible!"

"It doesn't matter whether we're connected by blood or not!" Kai asserted. "Saya's my sister and I won't stop looking for her!"

"It's impossible for you humans to retrieve Saya," Karman said flatly. "She's with Diva and they have several chevaliers protecting them."

"Chevaliers won't stop me," Kai replied.

"You don't know the true strength a chevalier possesses," Karman said. "You're just a foolish human who thinks he can get what he wants just because he has all those weapons of the so-called 'modern technology'. But take those weapons away and he can't survive much longer. That's the way it is: humans will always be weak."

"And who do you guys think you are, anyway?" Kai shot back, gaining his composure.

"We are known as the Schiff," Karman answered. "And the Schiff are much stronger than the humans. We can survive much longer and unlike you, we possess healing abilities. Unlike you—"

"Karman, enough," Moses cut in calmly. "Arguing will lead us to nowhere. He may be connected to Saya in one way, but he won't be of much use when we go looking for Saya."

"I can help you!" Kai said. "I know I'm weak. I know that!" He paused for a moment. "I've been useless… But now I'm trying to do all I can just to get her back."

"To what end can your capabilities reach?" Karman inquired hastily.

"I don't know, okay? I don't know!"

"Then what is your significance in your search for Saya exactly? If you can't answer that, then you might as well give up. What meaning is there in your retrieval if such efforts were in vain?" He was challenging Kai then.

"With whatever I still have in me," Kai answered.

"How arrogant," Karman said with a snort of ridicule.

"Why are you guys after Saya anyway?" Kai demanded. Tension was building in his voice.

"We need her blood. Both hers and Diva's."

"If such requires that you hurt her in any way, I'm not going to let you lay a hand on her!" Kai readied the gun that was hidden in his pocket.

"Very much defensive. It is amazing how so much confidence can fill weaklings. It disgusts me, just knowing how lowly their true state is," Karman said.

"Don't underestimate those whom you see below you," Kai growled. The way he was being treated infuriated him. He was not aware of how sensitive he became when Saya became a part of the issue, neither did he even think of how things have deviated so easily. Due to his rising anger, he had arrived at conclusions without analyzing what he had thought of.

"What are you going to do?" Karman challenged. "You're a human completely surrounded by the Schiff. A _prey _surrounded by the higher species."

Kai gritted his teeth. His shoulders shook. Without giving a moment's hesitation, he drew out his gun.

"It's a very nice toy," Karman scoffed.

"It's a 'toy', all right," Kai muttered. "Once I'll use this on you, it might impress you as well."

"Such weapons have no effect on us," Moses continued calmly. "…Compared to the ones we posses." He revealed a large scythe from under his cloak.

Kai gulped and pressed himself back against the wall behind him. Everyone advanced toward him slowly, all except Irene. She was watching him from behind the others. Guilt and fear where painted on her face. But she could do nothing to save him. The expression calmed a part of Kai, and made him think clearly.

"If you do not intend to hurt Saya, then I won't hurt you as well," he said, his voice reduced to a milder state. He glanced back at Irene and saw her expression soften. "Maybe if we could understand each other… Maybe we could work together to bring Saya back. Then I could ask her to give you some of her blood—"

"We do not desire to work with humans. We _never_ intend to," Karman said darkly.

"You will never understand us," Moses added. He was closest to Kai and it seemed that he was the only one who would attack. Kai did not lower his gun. Instead, his grip tightened even more on his weapon. "Whatever you learned shall be rendered useless since your life ends _now_."

"If you would consider things more clearly, it wouldn't have to be this way. You guys are just all messed up people."

"Think twice before you speak," Karman snapped.

"It's you people who should apply that!" Kai was close to pulling the trigger.

"It's no use trying to talk us over supper," Lulu said in her childish, peppy voice. "We're going to kill you right now."

"Even if you have to beg on your knees," Karman said with a grin.

Kai swore under his breath. Sweat trickled down his brow.

Suddenly, Moses headed for him. Kai pulled the trigger and was quick enough to dodge the scythe that was thrown at him. The loud gunshot echoed in the cool, empty air. The strength Moses delivered made his weapon remain impaled into the wall, causing stones and dust to explode. Kai lay sprawled on the floor. As the dust cleared, he quickly stood up, coughing.

"Impressive but unnecessary," Moses' voice said. Before Kai could react, he was pinned to the wall. "You might as well release that weapon of yours," Moses said dryly. He squeezed Kai's wrist with brutal, crushing strength. Kai cried out in pain, grimacing. He dropped his gun.

"I…told you…we could help…each other to…look for Saya…" Kai strived to say. He struggled violently against the Schiff, but realized to his horror that Moses was far more powerful than he was.

"No use struggling," Moses whispered. He forced Kai's head to face the opposite side, exposing his neck.

"No!"

Moses ignored Kai's cries and continuous struggles and bared his teeth. He was about to sink his fangs into his flesh.

A dagger from out of nowhere flew directly at him. Moses barely escaped the attack. He dodged it and released his victim, appearing safely at a short distance. He sneered up at the stranger from above.

The strength used on the dagger was enough to make it actually remain pinned to the wall. A small crack had appeared. Everyone of the Schiff stepped back. Kai looked up and saw the figure standing from the building, holding behind him a large coffin-shaped case. Immediately, he recognized the figure standing a little way above him.

"Haji…" he said soflty.

-ns-

Haji jumped from the building and landed swiftly between Kai and the Schiff. He stared solemnly at the group of hooded strangers before him. He held three daggers in his hand and at any moment he could have directed it at his enemies.

"Chevalier," one of the Schiff hissed.

"Let's go," Moses decided.

"What? He's only one," Karman protested.

"You forget your own words," Moses said. "He was capable of defeating us last time. Now that we are lessened, what chance can we stand against him?"

Karman restrained himself from arguing. He clenched his fists.

"Fine," he released through gritted teeth.

Everyone started to blur out of sight.

"We'll get you next time," Karman growled at Kai before vanishing.

The last one to leave was Irene. She looked at Kai sadly. "Kai…I'm sorry."

"No, wait, Irene!" Kai said, running up to her. "We could look for Saya together!"

"We can't, Kai," Irene said. "We're different…" Before Kai could reach for her, she had blurred out of sight as well.

"Irene!" Kai called after her. But it was useless. No answer came. "Damn it," Kai swore, clenching his fists in frustration. "Haji!" he turned to the chevalier in desperation. "We should go after them!"

"We cannot," Haji said in his low, controlled voice.

"Why not? They just left! You could catch up with them, right?"

"Even if I did, what use would it be?" Haji shot back a question at him, though his exterior seemed calm, unchanged.

"Then you could convince them to—" Kai halted. "Convince them to…" his voice trailed off. "To do…what?" He seemed to be stopped by his own words.

"Going after them would be meaningless," Haji said. "…after what they have almost done to you."

Kai rubbed his neck unconsciously, remembering how close he was to being bitten by Moses. His shoulders ached after he was slammed against the wall. "…blood. They feed on human blood… They're…not humans."

Haji watched him in silence.

"What must I do, Haji?" Kai turned to him. His whole body was weak with fear. His mind was confused. "What should I do? They…said they were after Saya."

"They need her blood to survive from a disease that has been plaguing them for the past years," Haji said.

"How do you know?"

"They have attacked us in the forest as we headed for the 'Zoo'."

"You mean…when Saya was with you?"

"Yes."

Kai rubbed his nape. He bent down and picked up his gun. "I'm so reckless…"

His cell phone rang. Kai answered it.

"…Hello?"

"KAI!" Mao's voice came bursting through the phone. "Where the hell are you? David, Julia and Lewis are here, waiting for your arrival!"

"I'm…" Kai glanced around him slowly. "…somewhere in the city."

"'Somewhere in the city'?" Mao cried. "We've been waiting here for, like, two hours! If you won't get here—" Someone interrupted her.

"Kai," another voice came from the other line. It was David. "Where are you? Did I not give you clear instructions to not leave the apartment or otherwise not go too far from it when you decide to go out?"

"I know," Kai replied. "I know that. But I've been looking for Haji and..." He was about to say what had happened in his encounter with the Schiff. But he suddenly held his tongue and said instead, "…I guess it was I who was found."

"Is something the matter with you, Kai?" David asked, sensing Kai's troubled feelings.

"No. I'm alright," Kai lied.

"If that's the case and since he is with you right now, then there is no reason for you to not come back," David said. "Bring him along. We'll discuss something once you get here."

"I will, don't worry," Kai assured.

"And make it fast. Time is running for all of us." That was the last thing David said before ending the call abruptly.

Kai placed the cell phone back in his pocket. "They're calling both of us to come back home right now," he said.

Haji merely stared at him.

* * *

_So there you have it. This has a second part(you must have seen the 'part one' thingy at the top). Well, basically, the chapter was waaay to long, so I had to divide it into two parts._

_If you saw some spelling errors or the like, well, just ignore them. I was in a hurry doing this...or not. _

_As usual, I ask, please review.  
_


	10. Chapter 9: Searching Part II

_Ta-da! Here's part II! An obvious continuation to the previous chapter. It's still with Kai, though. Please don't get bored yet. PLEASE! I assure you, once more, it WILL connect to Saya. I'm sure! _

_Okay, enough of that. Please read this chapter._

_

* * *

_

Chapter IX

Searching

-Part II-

-ns-

"It took you long enough," David said as they entered the apartment. Everyone was there. David and Lewis were sitting on one sofa. The other was occupied by Julia alone. Mao stood beside her, leaning her face into her palm in boredom. Okamura was standing close to them as well.

"Where were you?" Mao demanded when she caught sight of Kai.

"I told you I was…somewhere," Kai replied. He sat down wearily next to Julia. Haji stood near the door. All eyes turned to Haji for a while for the chevalier had disappeared mysteriously for the past months but then was with them in the apartment. Haji said nothing, not even a greeting.

"Did something happen to you?" Julia asked, after noticing traces of discomfort and tension from the ginger-haired teenager.

"It's nothing worth mentioning," Kai said, forcing a wry smile. He tried to change the topic. "So why is everyone here? You said we were about to discuss something important."

"We are," David replied. "And I'm sure you all know it is about Saya." He paused. "They plan to bring both her and Diva to London the following week."

"What?" Kai sat up straight, alarmed. He glanced back at Haji. There was no reaction from the stoic chevalier. "How did you know?"

David glanced back at Okamura, motioning the journalist to speak.

Okamura cleared his throat. "I read that a certain company, Cinq Fléches, is said to be one of the sponsors of a concert which would be held in London two weeks after. The concert will be performed by only one person… "

"…Diva," Kai finished.

"Correct," Lewis said.

"I've heard Cinq Fléches also say they would transport the 'source' of their products to London at the same date Diva would be brought there."

"Apparently, the 'source' of their products mentioned is no other than Diva herself," Julia said.

"_When Delta 67 was completed, I met the source of that blood…" _Kai remembered what the old man from Siberia said.

"Just like what Ted A. Adams told us," David said. Kai could recall clearly the old man's words. _"She was a beautiful girl… beautiful and free…but to mankind she was the most dangerous entity… she was called Diva… but in the bombings of '72, she disappeared…"_

"But how—"

"Perhaps giving the details regarding the company 'Cinq Fléches' would only confuse you," David cut in.

"And we even planned to tell you everything about the mutation from a human to a chiropteran. How Cinq Fléches is connected to this and how it is involved with Diva," Lewis said with a grin. "Turns out your mind isn't ready yet to inculcate large amounts of complicated information."

"All that's important now is that we retrieve Saya before that happens," David said.

"Have you investigated the area near the 'Zoo'? Kai inquired.

"We have done only little," David answered.

"Well, considering the distance between Paris and Bordeaux…" Lewis said while munching on a sandwich he had brought. "It isn't that easy."

"That guy seriously has to lose some weight," Mao whispered to Okamura.

"Nonsense," Okamura said with a grin.

Lewis overheard the. "Want some?" he said, offering his half-eaten sandwich.

"Uh, no thanks," Mao said with a smile.

"Well, why don't we just move to Bordeaux instead?" Kai suggested.

"No. It's far too dangerous. We could easily be tracked down if we lived in the same city."

"Anyway, we did discover someone's singing a few kilometers away from us through a certain device."

"That device was only designed for one purpose: to detect Diva's singing. It does not detect any other singing. Only Diva's," Lewis said.

"Diva's singing is peculiar, very much different from any other singing," Julia said. "It has the power to…influence people, especially with mutations from human to chiropteran."

"So that proves that Diva _is _somewhere near the 'Zoo'!" Kai glanced at Haji again and stood up. "This was what I wanted to tell you, Haji," he said, easily getting carried away. "Saya is somewhere there with _her._"

"Kai, please sit down," David said while folding his arms. "We still have much to consider here. There are still the chevaliers who protect them."

"What about them?" Kai said.

"It's not easy getting through one of them," Lewis said.

"We still have to find out how many there are and if there are any other possible places where we could go through to avoid getting caught."

"We'll find out once we get there," Kai said hastily. "And we'd be facing them anyway. So I see no sense in investigating."

"We don't even know where _exactly _the house is located in the forest and we don't know how it _looks _like," David pointed out dryly.

"We need a lot of help here," Lewis said.

"'Help'…" Kai repeated. He was struck by the word for a while. Everyone stared at him curiously.

"Is something wrong, Kai?" Mao asked.

Kai thought about the Schiff with whom he had encountered hours ago. He made up his mind that he'd tell them and sat down on the sofa again. "There were these other people…" he began. "They were searching for Saya as well…"

"…Who are these people?"

"They called themselves the 'Schiff'. They said they needed Saya and Diva's blood to survive… Haji knows about them, too…" He glanced at the chevalier. "Right, Haji?"

Haji merely nodded.

"The 'Schiff'?" Lewis rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Never heard of them."

"Will you please describe them for us?"

"They wore these long dark hoods." _"The sun means death for us."_ He remembered Irene's words. "They wear them because they said they feared the sun…it was death for them." _"…we possess healing abilities…" _Karman's voice echoed."They also mentioned being able to heal." He recalled the scythe Moses wielded. "…and they carry these large weapons around with them."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Have you read such from Joel's diary?" David asked Julia and Lewis. Both shook their heads.

"…Another form of chiropterans, perhaps?" Lewis said.

"That's likely," Julia agreed.

"So..." Mao drawled, obviously bored. "How'd we get to this topic again…?"

Okamura unexpectedly coughed. He was left smiling.

"What?" Mao said, glaring at the journalist. "Did I say something bad?"

"No," Okamura answered, though he was still had a small smile left on his lips.

"So what shall we do now?" Kai asked, trying to continue from the topic.

"Investigate."

"What?"

"We investigate to know what we're facing here, Kai," David said grimly. "We have approximately five days before they leave."

"That's too short!" Kai said. "How could we possibly be able to stop them if that's our time limit?"

"We don't have reinforcements either," Lewis added.

Everyone thought deeply for a moment.

"I know!" Kai said. "What if I try to convince the Schiff to join us?"

"This kid must surely be mad," Okamura sighed.

"Didn't we just conclude that they're chiropterans?" Lewis said.

"Yeah. But that doesn't have to mean that we can't work together," Kai pointed out.

"…Do they even wish to fight alongside us?" David said. "And judging by how you described them, I could only say that they're hostile people."

"I've met this girl," Kai said. "Her name was Irene. She was one of the Schiff, too. But she befriended me. Even when she had a chance to attack, she never did. Is that not enough proof that we can work with them?"

"And how about the rest?" David inquired. "If what you're saying is true, then it may be a bit convincing. However, it is only now that we have learned of such creatures. They're _strangers_. We know nothing of them and neither do they know anything about us."

"How can you say that?"

"And how exactly can you be so sure you could trust them?" David countered. "That was but one person. And I should think that you do not even know their true intentions, neither did such things occur to you."

"And what are we to do now?" Kai said. "We have no reinforcements. We have limited time. And we're facing dangerous enemies."

"Even in the face of such situations, we still tread cautiously. Such reckless actions would only contribute to the failure of our missions."

"And all the more if we do not make the best out of whatever is left!"

"Since when were they our comrades, Kai?" David cast a dark, intimidating look at Kai. "Since when were you in charge of things? I clearly said that they are not to be trusted. You claim such people to be our allies when you only see what is outside."

"They—"

"Did you even have time to know who they are? Do you know what they are exactly?"

"They are the Schiff—"

"I know they are the Schiff. They claimed themselves to be so. What now? What do you know about them? They fear the sun for it is death to them. They wear long hooded coats. They carry large weapons. What weapons exactly? And they are after Saya and Diva for their own cause. These are the only information we received from you, just now. Will any of these reveal who they really are or what their intentions are?"

"I…" Kai was rendered speechless. He clenched his fists as anger suddenly erupted inside him. "I just know we could get along and work together!"

"You just know," David repeated flatly. "Just 'knowing' would not be enough."

"Then what is?" Kai demanded.

"Hey," Okamura said mildly. "That's enough."

"We need to investigate more on their kind."

"Investigate?" Kai glared at David. "Investigating was all that you've done throughout these damned months!"

"Investigating was all that could be done," David replied, not seeming the least angered. "Had there been anything else, then I would unhesitatingly do it."

"That's why I'm telling you we should try to convince the Schiff to join us!" Kai stood up.

"Kai," Mao said, looking at Kai with worry. "Please calm down."

"Calm down?" Kai repeated harshly. "How could I calm done when this bastard doesn't even get what I'm saying?"

"I know not of who the Schiff are. I do not even know how they look like exactly. So it would be an act of foolishness to arrive to such rash conclusions."

"So you're saying investigating would be for the best?"

"I never said so. It wouldn't retrieve Saya either."

"We hardly have enough time to get Saya back. You're just wasting it in senseless investigations. And now you want to study these people? How long will that take?"

"Months, perhaps, if not weeks. Building trust would require much time as well," David answered. "That is why you would be wise to drop that idea and stick to the plan."

"I don't even see a proper plan here!"

"If you don't see the plans as proper, then give us ideas," David said seriously. "Give us the best plan that could help us confirm our enemies, which can keep everyone safe as much as possible and one that can retrieve Saya without fail."

"That's…" Kai couldn't say anything.

"Give us the perfect plan, Kai." David's eyes narrowed at him, as if to challenge him. "If you can pull out the best plan, I'd gladly make you take the lead here. I'd gladly listen to your plan, without question." He watched the frustrated look on Kai's face. "I'd be more than willing to have you take over this mission."

"I…" Kai clenched his teeth. Everyone was watching him in silence, waiting for him to answer. Nothing entered Kai's head. All that he could think of was the anger and frustration he had for David.

"Well?"

"I…" Kai couldn't think of anything. It annoyed him, and it hurt his pride to have to admit to everyone, including himself, that despite the fact that he was going against David's decision, he could not come up with a proper plan himself. "I don't know…"

"You don't know," David gazed at him calmly. "I'm sure you do."

"I don't."

"You're sure you don't have a plan, Kai?"

"The best plan…" Kai said. He lowered his head. "The best plan is to follow yours…"

"Sit down." Kai obediently followed.

Everyone was silent for a while.

"We shall go further into the forest and see where the possible location the house is. Tomorrow, at dawn," David continued, ignoring Kai's situation. "And we shall bring Haji along." He glanced back at the chevalier who lay quietly in the shadows all throughout the discussion. "Haji. We need your help."

The stoic chevalier inclined his head.

"How about me?" Kai cried suddenly. "Where do I get to stay? What's my job?"

"Your job I to stay here with Mao while we're gone," David said dryly.

Kai said nothing. He bit his lip in his frustration.

"Tonight, we rest," David said to everyone.

-ns-

Kai was left in the living room. Everyone had already gone to rest. The only light present was the light from the kitchen. And the only sound was the loud ticking of the clock. Kai checked the time.

"It's past midnight," he muttered to himself. He stood up from his seat. Previously, when David had announced that they can rest, everyone had at once stood up to do their businesses. All had ignored him as they left. _So they think I'm wrong and David's right. He's always right. And even if I try to be useful, I always end up looking like the pitiful loser._

The chevalier Haji had left the room. Wondering where he was, Kai decided he'd look for the chevalier. He did not want to sleep and neither did he feel like doing so. The previous 'discussion' had bothered him too much. As he left the apartment, he remembered the disappointed expressions painted on the faces of everyone in the room. It was clear that they were dismayed with his violent reaction toward David. _Who's the right one anyway?_

Outside, it was cold. The streets were empty. It was dark and only the streetlights were able to provide light. Kai spotted the chevalier standing across the street. He walked up to him.

"Hey," he said.

The chevalier said nothing in response.

"I couldn't sleep. Didn't feel like it," Kai continued. "Shouldn't you get some rest?"

"Chevaliers do not require sleep," Haji said.

"Oh." Kai looked around and saw a bench up ahead. "Let's sit there for a while." He walked up to the bench and sat there. Haji merely stood nearby.

It was silent for a moment.

"…So you think what I did was wrong?" Kai asked.

There was no reply.

"You fought for what you thought was right," Haji said after a moment.

"Think so?" Kai said, a smile brightening his face.

"…However…" Haji paused. Kai looked up at him. "It would be reckless to form ties with people we know nothing of."

"I know," Kai said. "But we have no other choice do we?"

"If it seems that way, we need not go through drastic measures."

"Well, then," Kai said. "What is the right way?"

"I know not."

Minutes crawled by in silence again.

"…So you're going with them later?"

"That is what I must do."

"So you think Saya is there in the forest, right?"

"Yes."

"…Why did people avoid the 'Zoo'?"

Kai saw something flash in the chevalier's eyes. "There was a fire…a large fire that consumed the buildings… Those who had attended the party of Joel were slaughtered…"

"Joel?" Kai said. "That was…during your time with Saya?"

"Yes."

"But who caused it? Who…did those?"

Haji said nothing. Kai saw something in his dark, solemn eyes.

"…Diva?"

The chevalier looked at him blankly. Kai saw that he was correct.

"So they were scared of what had happened, huh?" he said, staring at the ground. He stared at Haji in wonder. "Haji, do you ever get scared?"

No reply.

"I was asking because…I wanted to know how to keep myself from looking like a total coward."

"People have their fears."

"Well, do you have any?"

"I do not want to fail Saya."

"That's your fear? You don't want to disappoint her?"

"I do not wish any misfortune befall her…or bring her to oblivion."

Kai smiled. "You always worry for Saya and you always get to protect her."

"I was incapable of protecting her from Diva."

"Well, that's because you also have your limitations," Kai said. He smiled sadly. "Did you ever fear that you might someday lose everything, everyone that you loved…?" he asked.

Silence.

"I mean, I just feel so useless. It scared me to know that Dad died. I didn't know if I had the guts to keep my family safe and intact. And then when Riku was killed… it scared me as well. I was losing my family one by one…"

Haji gazed down at Kai for a few moments.

"…and they were just slipping so easily through my fingers. I only have Saya, but now, she's gone as well…"

"Your fears are what let you continue on living."

"I wish I could be like you…" Kai looked up at Haji "…so strong and brave. That way, I could protect everyone I love, even Saya."

"You are strong and brave in you own way, Kai," Haji said. "You are yourself. And you try to protect those loved ones without relying on anything but yourself."

The words stunned Kai for a moment. "But I'm still nothing compared to you…"

"There are things I cannot do, but are capable in your hands," Haji said. "You are able to make others smile. You were able to keep Saya happy. The smile I saw in her in Okinawa, living with you and the rest, was the smile I was unable to give her."

"That was back in Okinawa, when Dad and Riku were still alive; when we were still living as a complete family…" Kai lowered his head and stared at his hands. "Now, I guess I lost that 'capability'."

"Smiles can never be lost."

Kai realized something. "I never saw you smile, not even when you were with Saya."

Haji made no reply.

"I'm sorry," Kai apologized. "I didn't mean to ask it that way."

"You must go and have your rest," Haji said after a moment. "David would only scold you if you are not found in the apartment."

"How about you? You have no one to keep you company."

"I'm fine alone."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

Knowing it would be meaningless to converse with Haji for he felt the chevalier was in no mood to speak, Kai stood up. "I'm going ahead then." He made his way across the street. Before he left, he said, "Haji, please let me know if you find Saya."

The chevalier watched him quietly as the as the young man left and entered the door to the building.

* * *

_I know that some people ain't fond of Kai 'cause I know he could sometimes be a jerk or think of crazy ideas. But so far, he's the only character who's like that in the series. And I guess that makes him unique here._

_So don't get bored. Please don't get bored when I'm all pumped up for the following chapters._

_"Review please"- I won't ever forget putting this. And I hope you won't forget to do this as well.  
_


	11. Chapter 10: Blinded

_I don't really get you guys... Seriously. Who are those whom you like me to show more of? I'm getting confused here. I was first with the Saya-Diva part...then Solomon...then Kai...then Karl...and now Saya and Diva again._

_Aw, shocks. Who cares?_

_And now, we go back to Saya and Diva, because everyone knows that Kai...well, he's boring._

_

* * *

_

Chapter X

Blinded

As Saya fed on the girl's blood, with her eyes glowing red in the middle of her frenzy, Karl was watching her intently. He observed her ways and noticed the great changes that had taken place. _Has she accepted who she really is? _Karl wondered. He recalled what had just happened the previous night. Under the normal circumstances, when human influence had been pressing on her existence, she would have been weak and easily overpowered. But the Saya whom he was seeing now, the person whom he loved yet hated as deeply, the one who was now freely feeding on humans, this Saya was far different from what he knew her to be. The atmosphere around her was…more forceful. Her presence was overwhelming and proved ever the more whenever his right arm shook uncontrollably at her sight.

But this Saya, despite now seeming to comply with her chiropteran instincts, still had traces of humanity in her. Some part of the human naivety still remained. She may seem more like a queen, but he could not feel the same anger and hate that was coursing through her body the way it was during the Vietnam War. How he had admired her, almost to the point of worshipping her! She was simply too beautiful, with those blood-red eyes which never reflected regret or fear as she continually slew humans and chiropterans alike without the slightest hint of hesitation. Truly, she proved better than Diva herself. And though it was the most sinful thing for thinking such, he preferred to serve this red-eyed queen than the very person who sired him.

"Saya-neechan," Diva called cheerily, dropping the body of the girl she had fed on.

"Yes?" Saya was done feeding as well.

"Saya-neechan, how was it?" Diva asked. She was in front of Saya within moments.

"It was, well…satisfying."

Diva pouted. "You can't even appreciate the fact that I've given you the tastier one."

"No, that's not what I meant, Diva," Saya said quickly. "I said that it was satisfying because I, erm, very much…enjoyed it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Saya smiled warmly.

Diva noticed something on her face. "Even up to now, you still don't know how to eat properly. Look at you: you're in a mess!"

"I am…?" Saya blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."

Diva wiped the stream of blood trickling down Saya's chin with her finger. Then she placed the finger in her mouth, tasting the blood. "See? I told you it was more delicious," she said, licking her lips.

Karl watched the siblings in silence, as if he were observing two interesting creatures. True enough, they were interesting creatures, _perfect _beings in his eyes. He couldn't help but stare at the two in wonder for the interaction between them seemed unnatural. And he couldn't keep that feeling of envy as he watched the two, seeming happy together and very much enjoying each other's company. He couldn't get close enough to Diva to call their relationship intimate, despite the fact that he was her chevalier. He, too, could not keep the same intimacy with Saya. None of his relationships with the two seemed meaningful enough to him, or likewise to the latter. And yet, here they were, these two queens, these two individuals who used to bear deep-seated rancor toward one another throughout those long years of suffering, pain and blood, they were enjoying their time together, seeming to have forgotten their bloody past. He loved both deeply, but he could not express that love. The two hardly even realized that or even reacted toward it. Perhaps his insanity got in the way. But was that really it?

"I'm bored," Diva said loudly, making her statement more obvious by yawning without even bothering to observe proper manners of covering her mouth.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Saya asked.

"I haven't sung for a long time," Diva said. "So I think I should want to sing outside."

"That will be great," Saya remarked.

"Of course it will, since I'm the one who's singing," Diva replied dryly.

"Why don't I just get a book to read before we go outside?" Saya asked.

"No," Diva replied hastily. "You don't have to bring along those useless pieces of rubbish. They'll only distract you from listening to my beautiful singing."

"Please? I won't take too long," Saya said.

"No." Diva pulled her by the wrist. "We're going out _now_."

"Fine, fine," Saya sighed, following obediently behind her.

-ns-

"It's unusual, isn't it?" Nathan asked, watching the two leave.

"…It is." Karl was staring after the twins in wonder.

"Well, unusual as it is," Nathan said, "It's the way things are between them. But I love the way those two spend time together. They just look so adorable."

"Indeed." Karl looked at Nathan. "How exactly did Saya end up here?"

"It's an awfully long story," Nathan said. "But I shall tell you when we're outside having tea."

"Why?"

"We have to watch over those two, don't we?"

"Right…I forgot."

-ns-

Diva's singing filled the whole area. Even the birds kept silent as Diva's voice sailed through the air like lost soul seeking solace. Saya lay against the tree, listening to the younger twin's fair voice. The singing seemed to engulf her, filling her with emotions she could not even tell apart. A breeze blew by softly. She was soon lost in Diva's song.

She was about to fall asleep when she felt something warm at her side.

"Onee-chan." Diva's voice woke her up. "You're being rude, sleeping while I sang. It's not fair. You weren't able to listen to my song properly."

Saya opened her eyes and realized Diva was at her side. "Sorry," she apologized. "But I liked your song. It lulled me to sleep."

"Are you saying that my song is boring?" Diva asked.

"No! That's not what I meant," Saya said.

"What then?"

"'It lulled me to sleep' in a sense that it was so peaceful and beautiful it was able to make me feel so relaxed…that's why I almost feel asleep because I was enjoying your song."

"Oh." Diva held Saya around the shoulder. "Let's play a game!"

"Uhm, sure."

-ns-

"Saya was brought here against her will?" Karl inquired.

"Yes," Nathan answered. "Diva had Solomon bring Saya to this place to have her locked down in the dungeon. She had figured it would be amusing if she'd replay the setting from years ago."

"What setting?"

"It was during the time of the first Joel, during around…" Nathan thought hard. "Oh what was it again? It was during the 1800s when Saya first found Diva and had decided to be friends with her and visit her everyday."

"I don't get it."

"Diva would play the role of the free girl while Saya would be the prisoner locked away."

"I see." Karl's gaze settled over the red-eyed queen. "If that be the case, why is she as free as Diva herself?"

"Why, in the original setting, Saya had set Diva free. So in this setting, Diva granted Saya the same freedom."

"I don't see any reason why she had to go with that setting," Karl said dryly.

"Tell her that yourself," Nathan said. "Let's see if you might end up in the dungeon this time."

Karl threw him a sharp look.

"I was speaking in jest," Nathan said lightheartedly. "Though I think that could happen of course."

-ns-

"Tag, you're it!" Diva cried as she tapped from behind Saya on the shoulder. Saya spun around quickly and tried to catch her, but Diva already stood a short distance from her.

"Aww!" Saya cried in dismay. "That's the sixth time I became the 'it'!"

"That's what you get for being such a slowpoke!" Diva teased playfully.

"This is so unfair!" Saya said.

"What is?" Diva inquired. Her voice sounded so close. Saya glanced at her back and realized Diva was behind her again. She tried to reach for her but then Diva vanished and within a few moments and was standing beside a tree.

"Darn," Saya muttered.

Diva giggled. "Onee-chan's so funny when she tries to chase me!"

"I still am not…as fast as you," Saya said. The thought bothered her. "I'm not strong…am I?"

"No," Diva said. She walked behind the tree and was then beside Saya. "You're not."

"What's wrong with me?" Saya asked more to herself than to her twin sister.

"Onee-chan was reduced to such a weak state that she is no better from a weakling human," Diva stated. "Maybe you stayed too long with them."

"…You think so?" Saya frowned. "I don't think that's the reason."

"What other reason can there be?"

"I don't know…" Saya said, staring down at her hands as she opened them and closed them into fists repeatedly. _I don' know… Why am I this weak, anyway? Why am I not as strong as Diva? Is it really because I was staying too long with Kai and the rest?_

"Kai…" she said softly.

"Onee-chan." Diva held her right hand.

"Huh?" Saya looked right into Diva's eyes. There was a flash of jealousy in them.

"Onee-chan, who was that that you just mentioned?"

"I didn't say anything."

"That's a lie. You just said a name."

"I did?"

"Was it that human boy?" Diva inquired. "Was that his name?"

Saya wasn't able to say anything. "Uh…yes."

"Do you miss him?"

"What…?"

"Do you miss all those humans you left behind?"

The question was sudden and direct. It confused her. "I…" Saya suddenly felt sad. "I don't know."

Diva stared at her. Her eyes were filled with envy, boredom and suspicion. "You don't belong with them. And they can't have you either."

"Y-yeah…"

Diva peered at her. "You don't plan to leave me here, right?"

"No, of course…not," Saya averted her gaze from Diva's. Her tone was unsure, indecisive, and so was her expression. She tried to smile, though it came out as crooked.

"You better not." Diva held Saya's hand tightly. "Or else…"

"Tag," Saya suddenly said, placing a hand on Diva's head. "You're it."

-ns-

"Where are the rest anyway?" Karl asked.

"I'm not so sure," Nathan answered. "Solomon's busy in his office in Paris. Amshel is checking on the experiments he had conducted with the man named Van Argeno. And James is… Well, I don't know exactly where he is. He's probably still here in France or otherwise with Amshel…or somewhere else which I don't need to bother knowing of."

"And what exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm Diva's personal babysitter. Who else can I be?" Nathan said cheerily. "It's the best work ever assigned to me. All those businesses and experiments are such a waste of time and effort. I'd rather take care of my queen than get involved in such child's play."

"No effort goes to waste. Everything is falling into place as we had expected."

"You mean for Diva's grand performance?"

"Yes."

They sat there in silence for a moment.

"I heard. Amshel is making preparations in his departure to London."

"That's _our _departure," Nathan corrected. "But, yes."

"You're…bringing them along?"

"Well, of course!" Nathan said. "They are the only reason why we planned to leave this place. And that would be…" He thought for a moment. "Three days away."

"What exactly have you planned for them?"

"Why, Diva would be revealed to the whole world as a singing goddess. But of course we have to start small. We have already made preparations for her concert. Goodness, I can't wait for that date to come."

"'She' will come along as well?"

"You're not listening now, are you?" Nathan said. "Of course she's coming along. The answer is quite obvious." He gazed at Karl with interest. "Were you thinking that she could be left here with you? Because, if you must know, Diva would certainly not allow it. Our beloved Queen needs her sister by her side."

"I never even said that!"

"Why are you so defensive anyway?" Nathan said. "I was just saying. I never said that it was true. A short warning is all."

Karl wasn't able to say anything for a while. Nathan turned his attention to the place where he last saw the two siblings staying. "I guess I'm not much of a caretaker now am I?" he sighed. "Now my dearest queen has someone who can understand her and keep her company. Saya does know how to make Diva smile genuinely at times. And she does her work better than I can imagine."

"They're sisters," Karl stated dryly. "What can you expect?"

"Sisters indeed," Nathan agreed. "Yet the bond they share is equally preposterous for they pose a dangerous threat to each other. After all, their bloods are antagonistic, aren't they? It's just a mystery why they have to face the sad truth. Was ever the world so cruel so as to make their destinies so twisted?"

"I don't mind at all," Karl said. "If that was their destiny from the very beginning, I don't see the sense in why they strive so hard to deny the fact that they must live as adversaries."

"Hmm?" Nathan detected something from Karl's voice. "Senseless, you say?"

"It's their destiny to contend to each other. Would it not be absurd to go against Fate itself?

"And now you see them playing together like family," Nathan pointed out. "Perhaps they were able to alter their fate to something they desired."

"How long must they play 'house', exactly?" Karl asked. "Was this really desired by both from the very beginning?"

"They very much enjoy playing 'house' if you would see," Nathan replied. "And though I do not intend to pass judgment, all I can say is that this is what they must have desired. From the start, they may have not understood what paths they were taking. They were living along the life that was set before them. But it seems now that they have seen quite clearly; noticed things which were never there in the first place."

"Even if that may be so," Karl continued. "If they could turn around from what was originally given to them since they are Queens, we, the ever-so-faithful chevaliers cannot."

"How so?"

"It is our destiny as Chevaliers to protect our Queen," Karl said. "We, for one, belong to Diva. Saya has her own chevalier and that is no other than Haji. It is Haji's duty to protect the queen who sired him. Likewise, it is our duty to protect Diva. This _is _the only reason why we exist. If our queens were gone, of what significance is there in the life of a chevalier?"

"From whom exactly should we protect Diva from?" Nathan asked. "After all, I don't see anything which could harm her."

"Who is the only person who is capable of threatening Diva's life anyway?" Karl returned the question.

"Saya, of course." Nathan knew what Karl was trying to say, but allowed him to go on talking as a form of his amusement, to see where Karl would end up in. "She may be a threat, perhaps the only threat. But as you can see, she shows no intention of harming her own twin sister."

"Perhaps this is what we see from her exterior."

"We've discussed this last time. Why bring up such matters?"

"Because it is something that very much involves Diva's well-being."

"Diva's well being, you say? Amshel did already reveal your true intentions. If you're trying to rub it in, don't bother doing so."

"That is not my reason for thinking up such matters!"

"What other reason can you possibly have? You're saying this is not for personal gain, now is it?"

"As a chevalier, _this _is my only concern. As Diva's chevalier, I shall personally see to it that she would be safe at all costs!"

"If that is the reasoning of the Chevalier," Nathan began. "Then pray, tell me, what does Karl Fei-Ong truly desire?"

"He desires the same thing."

"Really now?" Nathan smiled, clearly enjoying the whole situation. "The human in you desires such a high-standing matter? Would Diva really be of concern in the eyes of a human?"

"I am not a human," Karl snapped.

"Oh, but you were _once_."

"The human is no longer in me," Karl said. "I have left humanity long ago."

"And yet, despite that, you still have the flaws of a human in you."

"I do not!"

Nathan said nothing. He stared down at his empty cup of tea. "My, my. You don't have to spill it all on me. Tell Amshel. Maybe he can help you. Or even Diva herself. Or tell Saya. Let's see how she'll react to your so-called duty of killing her."

"I never mentioned killing her."

"Well, what would you do? Protecting requires the annihilation of the threat itself."

"Protecting does not require unnecessary killing."

"Well, what do you wish to do with Saya if you do not even intend to kill her?"

Karl made no reply. He averted his gaze and remained silent.

Nathan smiled. "Don't tell me you wish to repeat what you have done on Diva to Saya. Amshel wasn't pleased at all when he learned of that act years ago."

Karl glared at him. "Don't you dare bring up that matter again," he growled.

"I won't," Nathan leaned back comfortably on his seat. "I still want some tea. Do you?"

-ns-

"I can't believe I ended up being the 'it' again," Saya sighed. She looked around in her surroundings. _Where in the world is she, anyway? _Previously, she had tried to deviate from the situation by making Diva the 'it'. But she was tagged by Diva after a few moments.

Saya stared down sadly at the ground. _I've never given much thought to Kai and the rest for the past months. I wonder…I wonder if they're still out looking for me. _An image of her faithful chevalier flashed in her mind. _Haji… Is he still searching for me as well? Do they all still want me along their side? Will they still see me as an ally? Or…have they forgotten who I am?_

Saya went on walking, searching for her sister. _After all, I've joined sides with Diva, their one true enemy. It's possible… _She decided such thoughts would only consume her time and would distract her. _I'm still looking for Diva. I'm still the 'it'_, Saya reminded herself. _It's best that I think of such matters when it's necessary. Right now, I still have to find her. _

She stopped walking and looked around. She sensed her sister's presence using her chiropteran instincts. She had grown quite stronger throughout the months with Diva. With human blood as her one and only source of nutrition, she was able to gain much more of her real strength. But such changes were very little. It was another thought that bothered her every now and then. She still wasn't as strong as Diva. _Forget it, Saya. Just forget it. As long as I could still retain most of my strength, it's okay_, she assured herself. _I'm bound to get stronger. I'm sure of it. _Another doubt formed in her mind. _Then again, if I had to regain my real strength, it would be at the cost of the humans. I would have to…feed on them to be as strong as Diva. I would have to take away innocent lives for my own benefit._ _I… _Her thoughts came to a halt when she caught sight of Diva. Quickly, everything that had made its way through her mind had drained away. _I found you…_

Diva was standing a little way ahead of her. Saya hid behind a tree and observed the younger twin for a few moments. The younger twin's back was turned to her, one which Saya saw as an advantage. Saya quietly crept toward her, as if stalking a prey that was oblivious to the coming danger. Each careful step brought her closer to Diva. Diva did not even seem to take notice of her, but was instead looking around.

_She's trying to find me_, Saya thought. A grin came across her face. _Well, I'm here right now, and you're mine… _She got ready to pounce and…

"Gotcha!" Saya cried, leaping at Diva. She made a quick grab for her with both her arms but in a flash, Diva was gone. _Eh? _Saya was unable to understand what had happened next due to the sudden turn in the events. She fell straight into a bush, headfirst.

There was a giggle in the air and soon afterwards, wild, cruel laughter erupted. It was no other than Diva.

"Darn," Saya muttered, sitting up. Leaves and twigs stuck to her hair. Her hair itself was a mess since it got tangled with the small branches inside the bush. She did have slight difficulty trying to free herself from the bush's clutches.

"What were you trying to catch exactly, onee-chan?" Diva asked, unable to suppress her laughter. "If you were trying to catch the air, it's all around you!"

"How'd you get to escape so easily?" Saya inquired, trying to remove the twigs and leaves in her hair with obvious irritation.

"I sensed your presence."

"You _knew_?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm sure you sensed me as well when I was hidden from you and you were trying to search for me, right?" Diva bent down and brushed away the leaves in Saya's hair. "And besides, I _am _stronger and quicker than you, so I should think that it is no surprise if you were unable to catch me."

"Whatever," Saya said sulkily, obviously annoyed to have failed in her attempt to catch her sister. She was sure she would have caught her, but it all ended up with her falling directly into a bush, which all the more irritated her. She blew at the hair that obscured her face.

Diva giggled again. "Aww, come on, onee-chan. It wasn't that bad that you fell straight into a bush." The thought made her want to burst into laughter again, but she tried to hold it back. "Here: I'll help you," she offered.

"You might just end up messing up my hair," Saya said.

"I won't," Diva assured, smiling sweetly.

-ns-

All of them were present that evening. Nathan was reading yet another book; Saya and Diva were with him in the living room as well. Karl was outside, thinking much too deeply about the various thoughts that seemed to bother him. He found it was necessary for him to leave the room where Saya and Diva were in. Otherwise, he feared, the sight of those two together would drive him insane. His sensible self had told him to do so and fortunately the rest of him complied freely.

"I'm bored." Diva yawned and gazed at Saya. "Onee-chan, what can we do?"

"Well, I'm not so sure." Saya thought hard. "I don't really know myself," she admitted, giving a sympathetic smile.

Diva pouted.

"Are you two hungry?" Nathan finally asked. Both siblings turned their attention to him.

"No." Diva's boredom dulled her answer. "One human is enough." She paused for a moment and looked at Saya slyly. "Not unless Saya-oneechan feels like eating another."

"Oh no," Saya replied, almost automatically. "I've…had my fill."

"Then you two might as well have your evening wash," Nathan suggested.

Diva suddenly beamed. She grinned mischievously. "That's a great idea." She turned her eyes to Saya. "Right, onee-chan?"

"It is?" Diva gave her a look. "I mean, yes, it is. It's a great thing to do." She had changed her question to a statement.

"Then I'll prepare your bath." Nathan stopped reading and stood up. "Come now, you two."

"Okay," Diva held Saya around the arm and stood up.

"We're going to bathe together again?" Saya inquired.

"Obviously." Diva forced Saya to stand up, which Saya did.

"But I wanted some time…" Saya's voice trailed off when Diva cast an ominous look at her. "…to spend together with you."

Diva smiled. "That's great."

"Yeah…" Saya agreed reluctantly.

"Hmm?"

"I mean, yes, it's—well—_wonderful_!"

Nathan gave a small sigh after watching how the two got along. He went ahead to the bathroom, leaving the two sisters alone in the room.

-ns-

Half of Saya's face was underwater with the rest of her body. She sank in the foamy water, muttering things to herself while Diva amused herself by playing with the bubbles.

"Onee-chan, look!" Diva called excitedly. Saya turned her gaze to her. Diva blew a large bubble in the air and popped it, giggling like a child.

_Seriously… _Saya thought as she continually watched Diva play in the bubbly water. _How childish could she get? She's not acting the way she should… _She paused. _Are these the effects of being locked away in a tower for so long? Considering the length of time she spent inside a prison cell… _She shuddered. _It's good I wasn't kept so long in that dungeon. Otherwise I might have ended up like her…which is not nice. Well, _she stared at the ceiling. _I've been acting the same way she is… She's somewhat influencing me…or maybe I really am I like this? _She blinked. _I was somehow acting the same way before… Oh well…_

Diva noticed Saya thinking to herself again. "Saya," she said, calling Saya's attention.

"Were you saying something?" Saya was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to understand what Diva had said.

"I was just calling your name," Diva stated.

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence.

"Saya-neechan, what were you thinking about?" Diva asked as she came close to Saya's side.

"Nothing in particular," Saya replied.

"Why do you keep on thinking so deeply?"

"I don't really know. I just get these certain thoughts."

"Such as?"

"Such as…" Saya thought hard. "How blue the sky is."

"How boring."

"It's not that boring when you think about it more."

Diva ignored her reply. "Forget it."

-ns-

They were in their bedroom then. Saya stared at the dark ceiling. Diva inched closer to her and leaned comfortably on her shoulder.

"Saya-oneechan always feels so warm," Diva said softly.

"Think so?" Saya tried to think of some topic. She did not feel like sleeping yet. "Say," she began. "Do you want me to tell you a story, Diva?"

"What kind of story?" Diva inquired curiously.

"It's a nice story," Saya could only say. "Would you like to hear it?"

Diva merely nodded.

"It's a story about two siblings." Saya paused. "They were born as twins. But then some people got in their way and separated them. The older twin was brought to the mansion by the rich, old gentleman and there, she lived. However, the younger twin… The younger twin was brought to a high tower in a prison cell…"

Diva looked at Saya curiously. "It sounds…interesting."

"…The older twin enjoyed her life. Joel—I mean, the old gentleman treated her as his own daughter, giving her beautiful dresses and all the other things she wanted. Eventually, the older twin grew spoiled…

Meanwhile, her younger sister lived miserably. She was cold and nobody cared for her. All her life, ever since the time of her birth, she remained in that small cell. Sometimes…well, sometimes, she was forgotten. She was always lonely because she had no friend… But despite that, she had an amazingly beautiful voice and everyday, she sang, hoping someone would someday hear her voice and come to her.

And someone did hear her. It was the older twin. The older twin was wandering around that place for some time and she…well, she had heard that wonderful yet lonely voice singing beautifully. The older twin soon met with her younger sister. They… However, they could not see each other. There was a large door that separated them and they never got to see each others' faces.

But even so, the older twin…she visited the younger twin everyday, telling her countless stories and experiences. Eventually, they became close friends…

The older twin wanted to release her friend… After learning about the younger twin's life in the tower, she went searched desperately for the key which should, er, would unlock the door and release the younger twin. She had also invited the younger twin to the old gentleman's party, which was soon to come.

It was on the very day of the old gentleman's birthday party that the older twin finally found the key. With it, she ran up the stairs…the stairs inside the tower, up to the cell where the younger twin was kept in. And… the older twin succeeded in opening the door. However, before she could even approach her friend, she heard Ha—someone call her name from below.

Before she took her leave, the older reminded the younger twin that it was the old gentleman's birthday that day and she should sing at his party because she had a beautiful voice…"

There was another pause.

"…however, when the older twin returned to the party, she saw that everything was in flames and that everyone lay dead. Amidst these, a lone figure stood, holding…fath—the old gentleman, who was then also killed, in her arms…

And… And ever since that day, the older twin had harbored deep hatred toward the younger twin for killing everyone, including the old gentleman who the older twin had looked up to as a father… But she…never understood the younger twin. She never understood the pain the younger twin had to live through while she lay like an animal in that cold, prison cell, high in the tower where no one would ever notice her. She never understood what it felt to lay in the shadows, forgotten…as if…as if her existence hardly even mattered. She never understood the feeling of growing up without love…for the old gentleman had always shown her loving affection.

Because of this, the younger twin grew to hate her sister as well. And ever since then, a fight continually raged, even taking away lives as a result.

But now…" Saya looked down at Diva. "Now it's different. Do you know why?"

"…Why?"

"Because…" Saya smiled sadly. "…because now, the older twin had realized her mistakes. And she wants to apologize, to ask for forgiveness from the younger twin for always being selfish. Will the younger twin find it in her heart to forgive her sister? " She paused again. "Diva, will you forgive me for all the things I have committed against you? Because of my hate and selfishness, I was blinded from the truth…"

"Saya-oneechan is a foolish older twin," Diva began. "But she's my sister nonetheless. And I freely forgive her."

"Thank you, Diva…" Saya moved closer to her. "Was it a nice story?"

"It was. I like it very much. My favorite character was the older twin."

"Really?" Saya's smile brightened. "Well, I loved the younger twin.,.and I always will."

A few moments passed in silence. The moon was bright outside. Both siblings were drowsy.

"Onee-chan?" Diva said blearily.

"…yes?"

"Will you tell me that story again?"

"Sure."

Minutes crawled by. Saya was about to fall asleep.

"…onee-chan?" Diva's said again. But her voice was softer.

"…yes?"

"Will you always be my onee-chan and stay by my side?"

"Of course…"

Within a few more minutes, both fell asleep, surrounded by dreams of the older twin and the younger twin spending time with each other…

-ns-

As the two lay beside each other, the door creaked open. The chevalier entered, careful so as to not awaken the siblings. He advanced toward the elder twin and gazed at her with eyes that held both fondness and hatred. His right arm convulsed again and he held it tightly with his other arm. The jerking died down after a few minutes. The chevalier returned his attention to the red-eyed queen again, who was then sound asleep, completely unaware of her surroundings and the person before her. Her lips were parted slightly as she slept. The chevalier tried to hold back himself and the desire he was starting to feel. Instead, he stood by the bedside and bent down to kiss Saya on the lips lightly. The red queen showed little reaction and stirred slightly. The chevalier smiled and with his left hand, brushed the locks of hair that were obscuring her face. He turned to the younger twin and patted her gently on the head. Then he stepped back and admired the two queens with eyes that were filled with insanity yet also reflected love. Finding his satisfaction with just that, he headed for the door. He glanced at the two for the last time.

"Sleep well, my beloved queens…"

The door closed silently.

* * *

_Hey, this is not some sort of love story, okay? I don't support any pairings. I mean, seriously, there are too many. (Hey, no offense meant...if ever one was offended...)_

_I just wanna 'go with the flow". Karl loves Saya in a sense that he wants to kill her. Solomon is drawn to her. Also Haji. I'm not really sure with Kai, though... I'm not sure if his love for her was the family-type or the romantic-type (hey, that is one serious case of incest. Again, no offense in this part. I kinda like the KaixSaya pairing. But I ain't supporting it, you hear?)_

_And the next chapter will be a bit late again. I've already finished it, but I have to do a bit of adjustments. I guess your reviews would have little effect on what's to come. But I'm not rejecting them! Yeah, I forgot to say that you have to review this chapter. _

_Please continue to give your feedback. I really need your full support!  
_


	12. Chapter 11: Unable To Part I

_Goodness... I really don't know what to do. I'm confused. I'm SERIOUSLY confused... Heck, I don't know what I'm writing anymore. Hey, uh, with regards to the suggestions in your reviews (they were great ones, by the way), I can't 'apply' or should I say 'adapt' them right now. I have another chapter that I have already begun writing in advance and well, that's the only time I could put into writing the suggestions. Is it okay? _

_This is taking too long. Just read this chapter for now._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XI

Unable To

-Part I-

Saya and Diva were outside, sitting comfortably in the soft grass. Diva was, as usual, playing with the toys given to her while Karl and Nathan watched them from a short distance, having their morning tea.

"Don't you ever get tired of drinking this everyday at three parts of each day?" Karl asked as he watched Nathan drink his tea pleasantly.

"Me? Getting tired of such a wonderfully healthy drink?" Nathan placed his cup on the saucer. "Not ever!"

"How long have you been drinking this?"

"It was so long ago that I could hardly remember," Nathan said, placing his palm on his temple.

"And how long exactly will you drink this?"

"I don't know, really. Maybe after a few centuries more would I soon tire of this," Nathan sighed. "There are three classifications of tea after all and each classification has several kinds of tea. And so far, I'm enjoying the green tea." He watched the two siblings with amusement. "I never seem to be fed up watching those two getting along so perfectly well either. I should think that I never will."

Karl followed Nathan's gaze. His right arm twitched slightly as he laid his eyes on the elder twin.

-ns-

"Diva," Saya said, calling the younger queen's attention.

Diva had easily disembodied the teddy bear's head and was planning to tear the legs off. "What?"

"You've created quite a mess here," Saya stated mildly.

"So?" Diva was very much concentrating on ripping the bear into two instead of removing its arms and legs.

"Well, it would be hard to clean up later on."

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you start cleaning up yourself instead of complaining it to me?" Diva inquired dryly, obviously irritated at being disturbed.

"Well, if you say so..." Saya stood up without a second's thought and obediently went to pick up all the toys that lay scattered in the grass.

"What's this?" Nathan said after seeing Saya stand up only to pick up all the toys.

"What?" Karl said.

Nathan chuckled. "Dear me, Saya's cleaning up Diva's mess. She must have been told to do so."

Karl stared right at Saya, his gaze growing more piercing as the elder queen was busy fixing the mess.

Arms, legs and heads of the toys lay around. Saya had already quite a bunch of the toys in her arms. As she bent to pick up a certain doll, she felt a sudden uneasiness at the pit of her stomach. She turned and saw that Karl was giving her a cold, severe glare, one which rose discomfort in her. She saw something flash in his eyes. It was somehow full of hatred, unusual joy and…hunger. A chill ran down her spine. She quickly took the doll in her hand and got whatever toys lay nearby and hastened away to Diva's side. She felt sure the moment she left, a manic grin had appeared on Karl's face.

"This is so boring," Diva avowed. "I've had it with these toys."

"Well, what else do you want to play with?" Saya asked, setting the bunch of destroyed toys beside her.

"If these were humans, which unfortunately they're not, I would have some more fun."

"Well, they're not humans," Saya said. "What else do you want to do?"

"When will we leave for London?" Diva asked, ignoring Saya's question and suddenly shifting topics.

"Four days after this," Saya answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to make the best out of this place before we leave," Diva replied. "Nathan!" she called.

"You called, my Queen?" Nathan asked, standing before Diva.

"Nathan, I want to head for Paris right now with Saya-neechan."

"What?" Saya stared at Diva in surprise.

"For what reason, my dear?" Nathan inquired, not the least bit surprised at the sudden request.

"Well, we are leaving for London too soon. I figured it would be fun to head to Paris for some 'sightseeing'," Diva replied. "Besides, it's boring here."

"This is too sudden. We can't possibly just go there when we feel like doing so," Saya protested.

"As you wish," Nathan said, dipping his head slightly. "I'll just contact our little driver and we'll leave at once."

"What?" Saya did not believe what she had just heard. "How—" Nathan had already vanished within moments before she could ask him a question.

"What's wrong with you?" Diva inquired flatly.

"Nothing," Saya replied. "It's just too sudden. Can we really go there on such short notice?"

"Of course we can," Diva answered. "And what's the problem if it were too sudden? My children will follow whatever I say."

"I know. But still…"

"If you don't feel like coming along with me, it's fine."

"No. That's not what I meant," Saya said, caught of guard by the dry answer. "I'll accompany you wherever you go."

Diva smiled slyly. "We'll have fun, won't we?"

"Yes."

-ns-

"Damn," Kai muttered as he lay on the bed. He was staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts had been bothering him all morning. Even after Haji told him to rest a few hours earlier, he could not. "It's all the same…" he said softly. "It's all the same! I'm still weak and useless!" he ended up yelling.

"Kai!" Mao shouted at him from the living room. "Stop hollering! It's the first thing in the morning!"

"Oh, shut up," Kai said under his breath. He rolled to his side. _Even David sees me as a burden_, he thought. He crumpled the sheets in his hand. _I couldn't do anything to help. I even caused an unnecessary argument last night. _The thought infuriated him. Quickly, he got a pillow and dug his face into it. "DAMN IT!" he yelled.

_I'm so reckless…_

Momentary silence ensued. Kai decided it was best that he get up. _It wouldn't make any difference anyway_, some part of him argued as he got out of the bed and headed for the kitchen. _No matter how hard you try, you wouldn't be able to accomplish anything._

"I know that!" Kai said angrily, clenching his fists.

"Kai?" Mao said curiously, staring at him in wonder.

"It's nothing," Kai grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "I was just talking to myself, that's all."

"You don't normally do that," Mao said. Kai sat down on the table and saw that there was already food prepared.

"You cooked food again?" Kai inquired.

"No," Mao replied, frowning. She faced the other direction in indignation. "Lewis cooked this for the both of us."

"Oh." Kai forced a smile.

-ns-

"I'm leaving," Kai said as he stood by the door.

"Again?" Mao said. "Didn't David scold you for sneaking out of the apartment? He scolded me for allowing you to go."

"Relax," Kai said nonchalantly. "It's not like the old man's here anyway."

"Whatever," Mao folded her arms. "I won't be dragged into it when David chides you again."

"Yeah, yeah. It's not a problem," Kai said and left the apartment. _I'm used to getting scolded anyway._

"Jeez," Mao said when she was alone. "What's his problem?" She got out a can of soda and opened it. "Darn it. I can't believe that bastard, Okamura, had been brought along. I don't see how he could help anyway. All he does is read, write and talk." She sipped from her soda. "He can't hold a proper weapon either. All he knows how to handle in this world is his boring, old camera."

_Even if they left me here, I'll show them that I can still do something. _Kai walked down the street. He headed for the park. _Maybe she still comes here_, he thought as he headed for the swings. Children populated the area, laughing and causing tremendous noise while their parents tried to discipline them. Irene was nowhere to be seen among them. _Where else can she be? _He tried to guess possible places where he could find the Schiff. And although what had happened to him last night between him and them was clearly a sign of threat from the Schiff, the latter found it otherwise.

He headed down into places where people preferred to go the least. He walked down empty, dark alleys and still did not see any of those he sought for. _Did they go further into hiding after knowing of Haji's presence? _It was possible. _It is still daylight_, he reminded himself. _After all, they fear the sun. I might still see them._

-ns-

_Was this even worth the fuel and time consumed? _Saya thought doubtfully as she stared through the window. Diva was leaning on her shoulder and had fallen asleep within the first few minutes as soon as they had entered the limousine. _Honestly_, Saya sighed, looking down at her. _You're the one who arranged for this trip to Paris and now you're the first one to fall asleep. _

"We're here," she heard Nathan say. The window from that separated the driver's seat from them lowered and Nathan appeared. "You might as well wake your sister up."

"Right." Saya shook Diva gently. "Diva, wake up." Diva stirred slightly. "Diva, we're here now. We're in Paris."

"We are?" Diva asked sleepily. She sat up straight and yawned.

"Goodness," Nathan sighed. "Your hair is in quite a mess, I must say." He took out a brush from his purse and handed it to Saya. "Saya, please do the honors and arrange Diva's hair for me."

"Alright." Saya reached out and took the brush and gently brushed Diva's hair. "Are you okay?" she asked as she combed her sister's hair neatly.

"I'm…still sleepy."

Saya smiled. "Well, that's what you get for being so rash with going here."

"Enough already." Saya obeyed her and handed the brush back to Nathan.

"Well, where do you two want to go first?" Nathan asked.

"Somewhere worth going to," Diva replied sarcastically. She looked at Saya, as if questioning her with the look.

Saya immediately understood what she wanted to ask. "Well, I'm not so sure. I'm not that familiar with this place."

"I know," Nathan brightened. "It would be the perfect place for the both of you."

"What?" The two girls asked in unison.

"A nice little shop where they would sell gowns and dresses. I know where they sell the best, most adorable little outfits for the both of you," Nathan clasped his hands. His eyes were bright with excitement.

"That's the most boring place I'd ever go into," Diva remarked dryly. She held Saya around the arm. "But since I'm with Saya-oneechan, it would be nice. It will be fun to get her into those little pieces of fabric and silk. Right, Onee-chan?"

"Me?" Saya held out her hands, a ridiculously reluctant expression on her face, hidden behind a silly smile. "I'm not really fond of those."

"No; we're getting you into those dresses," Diva said firmly. "And I'll be the one who would fit you into them."

"No, really—"

"Nathan, have the driver take us to that little store you mentioned," Diva told Nathan, ignoring Saya's protests.

"With pleasure," Nathan replied.

-ns-

"It's late in the afternoon," Kai said to himself. "I still did not catch any sign of them." _Where are they? _he wondered. He had been looking for the Schiff all morning until then. Yet, despite that there was not a single trace of them. His stomach grumbled. _Darn. I forgot to eat lunch. _He had not returned to the apartment to have his lunch. He was too preoccupied to do so. However he was aware that such actions would only hinder him from what he wanted to do. So he then decided it was best he go to the nearest restaurant to at least fill his hungry stomach with a bit of food to stop the continuous growls that begged him to feed it.

"Well, I guess this can do," Kai said to himself as he stood before a large restaurant. The sign read _"Classique". Classique, eh? _Kai smirked and entered the restaurant. Inside, it was quite bizarre in his eyes. There were few customers present. There were lots of unoccupied tables. Kai headed for a small table at the corner where he could watch the comings and goings outside. As soon as he sat comfortably into his seat, a dark-haired waiter with a small mustache and neatly shaved beard approached him.

The waiter, realizing that the Kai was an Asian for he could see that he had Oriental features, spoke in English. "Good afternoon, sir," he tried to say in his best accent. "Welcome to _'Classique'_, a restaurant where we serve France's most known traditional dishes." He held a menu readily in his hands. "What would you like to have this afternoon, sir?" He handed the menu to Kai.

Kai took it and read the list of dishes. The food where all in French and he had a hard time reading and understanding the dishes. "Er, I'm not so sure…" Kai said, narrowing his eyes at a particular name that seemed very much difficult to read. "Uh, could…could you suggest a meal for me? I'm having a hard time understa—er, deciding, you see."

The waiter bent down and read the menu himself. "Shall I suggest the _'Pot au Feu'_, sir?"

"What's that?" Kai asked.

"It is called 'French Beef Stew' in English. Truly, sir. This is a classic, traditional recipe, eaten throughout France. It comes from the very heart of the French culture, if you must know, sir."

"I see," Kai said, rubbing his chin. "If that's the case, then I'm having it."

"Is that all you wanted to order, sir?"

"Well, what else is there, anyway?"

"We serve well-known wine here, sir."

"Oh. I see."

"Would you like to order our finest wine here, sir? I do recommend that you do. I'm sure it would be very much…enjoyable if you have your meal with it. I assure you." The waiter took the menu from him. "Would you also be having the wine, sir?"

"Well, uh," Kai thought for a moment. _I guess I'm old enough to drink this sort of stuff. _"Sure. I would like to have some of that wine you mentioned…since you say it tastes great."

The waiter smiled. "Certainly, sir. Your meal shall arrive after a short while. Please wait until then." He soon left.

Kai observed the people outside for a while. As he sat down, waiting for his meal, his cell phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"KAI!" Mao shouted from the other line. "You little—'  
"Mao, please calm down," Kai said mildly, cupping the cell phone in his hands. The other customers were staring at him in alarm. "I'm in a restaurant right now, somewhere in the city."

Mao, fortunately, obeyed him and lowered her voice. "What do you mean? You're not coming home for lunch?"

"I can't, okay?" Kai said mildly. "Besides, I've already ordered my food."

"What are you doing, anyway?" Mao asked.

"I can't tell you, Mao, at least not yet."

"Why not?"

"Just please listen to me and don't ask," Kai said. "I promise to explain everything to you. But I can't tell you right now. Neither can I tell you my reason for not explaining the whole situation right now."

"If that's the case," Mao said. "Then at least tell me when you're coming back."

"I'm not sure either," Kai smiled apologetically, forgetting to realize that Mao would certainly not be able to see that smile.

"Then let me just remind you: David and the rest are coming home tonight. You better come home before that happens or else I'll search for you myself in this city and I'll haul you back to the apartment." Mao's voice was austere and threatening. "Understood?"

"Yes. I promise to be home," Kai assured her.

"Then I'll be ending the call. Goodbye."

"Yeah. I'll see you later." The call ended. Kai sighed and glanced at the customers. They weren't staring at him anymore. _Jeez. She put me in such an embarrassing situation_, Kai thought. Just then, the waiter from a while ago appeared, holding a tray and balancing it in one had.

"Viola," he said cheerfully, placing the tray before Kai. "It is just as you had ordered, sir. Please enjoy your meal." His accent was very much of French and it was quite silly for Kai as the waiter spoke in English. The waiter stepped back respectfully and left Kai to eat.

"A weird way of service," Kai said to himself. "It's still friendly anyway."

As he ate, the same waiter came back, holding a bottle of wine. "Would you like a glass of the wine, sir?"

"Uh, sure."

The waiter poured into the glass nearby. "Please enjoy your meal, sir." He turned to leave.

"Hey, uh, wait," Kai said, making the waiter face him again.

"What is it, sir?"

"May I see what kind of wine it is?"

"Certainly." The waiter showed him the label of the wine. Kai's eyes widened in shock. "It's the Chateau Duel 1967, sir." He noticed the disturbed look on Kai's face. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"No." Kai changed his expression to a smile. "I was just surprised, that's all."

"That wine is very much famous for its unique flavor," the waiter said. Kai sensed a slight chilly feeling in his voice. "You will enjoy your meal with this, I'm sure." He left at once after saying those words.

Kai watched him leave. _I can't believe it. _He remembered Okamura warning everyone regarding the wine. Likewise, David gave a similar warning. _"…Apparently, they have spread Delta 67 into different drugs. Even wine… That was why Saya was sent to Lycee De Cinq Fléches in Vietnam because wine was kept there and was occasionally exported to different countries… The wine was named Chateau Duel 1967…"_

"They couldn't have…" he said softly. He then realized he was in France. What could he expect? He had learned the wine was made in Bordeaux. Countries were accepting these for the people. Why would the very country where the wine itself was produced be of no exception?

Kai swore under his breath. He pushed the glass of wine farther away from his plate, near the edge of the table, and resumed eating.

-ns-

The waiter soon came back, holding a small tray.

"Your payment, sir," he said, lowering the tray and showing the bill to Kai.

"Here," Kai handed the payment and stood up.

"Did you enjoy the food, sir?"

"I did," Kai replied. "Oh, and you could keep the change."

"Thank you very much, sir." The waiter bowed slightly and then noticed the glass of wine which was left untouched, at the end of the table. "Your wine, sir. You forgot to drink it."

"Oh, that?" Kai smiled apologetically. "I, uh, am a minor. I figured I shouldn't drink those until I reach my proper age." He scratched his head. "I'm sorry if I couldn't drink it."

"It is quite okay, sir. As long as you have enjoyed your meal." The waiter smiled.

"Well, I should be going. I'm looking for some people, you see." Kai turned to leave.

"Thank you for coming, sir. Please come again."

"I will." Kai went out the restaurant and walked away, satisfied. The waiter looked at the glass of wine which was left untouched on the table.

"That was certainly a worthwhile meal," Kai said to himself. _Now to get back to work_.

As he left, he was unaware that the waiter was eyeing him warily.

* * *

_Loving grapes, don't laugh if ever this chapter seems ridiculous... I come from the Philippines. Take note: PHILIPPINES. I know nothing about France, or Paris or whatever. Researching all about France would be a hassle. And obviously, I just made up the restaurant 'Classique'. But the food, of course that was real. _

_So, yeah, there's still the part 2. If you've noticed, my chapters are really getting longer and I have to divide them. Well, it's not like it would affect anything, right?_

_I will no longer say 'review please'. I shall say from this day forward: 'Please give your feedback.' So that you wouldn't be fed up with my simple request, yes?  
_


	13. Chapter 11: Unable To Part II

_Did I say something bad from the previous chapter? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to say anything rude. Really. It bothered me for the past few days when I didn't receive any reviews. If you want to say something about what I said, then you could freely express your irritation, or anger. If there is any problem with what I'm saying here, please tell me at once. I still want to continue writing...and I can't afford to lose my readers.  
_

_ It's only now that I realized I made a big mistake with the chapters. I think I messed the whole plot and it's only now that I knew. I think it's obvious that I made a mistake with the sequence of events here…  
_

_If you're still interested in knowing what my mistake was and you want to know the real order of the chapters, I would be explaining it after you're done reading. It would be at the bottom…and I think that's also obvious…_

_

* * *

_

Chapter XII

Unable To

-Part II-

-ns-

"Isn't this a bit too much?" Saya asked as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror.

"It suits you," Diva remarked after examining Saya from top to bottom.

Saya's face flushed and she stared down at the floor in embarrassment. Both were in the changing room then. Outside the changing room, Nathan was picking out dresses and gowns and suggesting them to Saya.

"How about this one?" they heard Nathan ask. "It's a crimson dress. I'm sure it would fit her."

"Give it." Diva went out and took the dress. "Perhaps, this should be the last one we're buying. Nathan," She called the lax chevalier's attention.

"What is it?"

"You better stop choosing those dresses. We've had enough. It's getting boring here."

"Aww," Nathan said in dismay. "Oh, alright. Perhaps we could buy some more when we get to London."

"Again?" Saya said as Diva showed her the dress.

"See?" Diva said and giggled. "It's the same color that flows out when we kill a human."

Saya felt uncomfortable. "I'm satisfied with the three other dresses you chose for me. I really don't want anymore."

"Undress," Diva ordered, ignoring what Saya had said.

"But—"

"Or else I'm going to _make _you."

-ns-

"That was fun," Diva remarked as they walked out the shop. "Right, Onee-chan?"

"Uh…yeah. It certainly was," Saya answered, simpering. It was obviously a lie.

"Oh, they were very much beautiful," Nathan said. He was holding the bags that contained the dresses Diva chose for Saya to wear. "I wish _I _was the one who could wear them."

"Where are we going next?" Saya inquired.

"How should I know?"

Again, the answer made Saya smile. It seemed funny enough for her. Diva was the one who arranged for such a trip, but was not even sure where to go exactly.

Just then, Saya's stomach growled hungrily. Saya held her stomach, hoping no one else heard it. Nathan and Diva glanced back at her. Saya blushed. "My stomach…it hurts…" she tried to reason.

Diva giggled. "We should have had another human for breakfast." She glanced around her, a sly smile across her lips. "Then again, with so many of them around us, you could easily have your pick."

"No, that's not what I meant," Saya said quickly. Just then, they were standing before a small corner shop selling pastries and cakes. "Why don't we have one of those instead?" she suggested, pointing at the cakes.

Nathan smiled but said nothing. Diva stared at her flatly. "I don't eat human food," she stated.

"Oh, come on," Saya said. "Well, could we at least rest a bit?"

"We didn't do much."

"Yeah, but still," Saya glanced at the desserts that were being displayed. She decided she should communicate with Diva telepathically. _"Even if we were capable of…having a human for ourselves, there would be no proper place to…to eat them." _Saya hoped her reason, though ridiculous, would be enough to convince her sister.

"_Why did you decide to communicate like this, Saya?" _Diva asked, though she responded telepathically as well. _"Are you afraid you would scare the humans away? They're so easy to catch anyway."_

"That's not the reason!" Saya said, speaking normally again.

"What is?"

Saya knew that arguing with Diva was useless. "Please?" she pleaded instead. "I…I miss eating those. I really do."

The sight of Saya pleading earnestly amused Diva. She gave a short laugh. "Oh, all right, onee-chan."

"Thank you." Saya smiled and headed for the shop.

"Shall we?" Nathan said, holding out a seat for Diva. Diva sat on it. Nathan sat on another chair next to her.

"She hasn't changed at all," Nathan said.

"She's pathetic," Diva said with a snort of ridicule as she watched the elder twin choose a dessert for herself.

Soon, Saya came back, holding a remarkably large cake in a platter. She placed in on the small table before Diva and Nathan.

"What's this?" Diva inquired, not reacting to what was set before her.

"It's called _'Tarte aux Fruits' _or also known as Fruit Tart. Doesn't it look good?"

"It looks good, alright," Diva agreed sarcastically. "Good for smashing it into your face…"

"Oh, c'mon. Don't be like that," Saya said mildly. "So who wants some?"

"I'll pass," Nathan said, smiling apologetically.

"I don't want any of that," Diva said dryly.

"Fine," Saya had a fork. "If you say so." She began to eat. She smiled pleasantly as she chewed. "It's so sweet!" She continued to eat, forgetting the people around her.

_She's a glutton_, Diva thought as she watched Saya eat her cake happily, like a child. "How could you stand human food anyway? They taste so dull."

"No, they're not," Saya answered after gulping down her food. "In fact, they taste delicious."

"'Delicious'?" Diva raised an eyebrow. "The very ones who make them are the ones I find delicious."

"Don't be silly," Saya said mildly. "Here, try some!" She held out the fork with a small piece of the fruit tart.

"No."

"Just try it."

"No."

"Please?"

"I said _no_."

-ns-

Saya was finally done with her dessert. "Ah, that was delicious!" She smiled happily. There was some cream on her lips. Diva noticed it and reached out with her finger. "Huh?" Saya curiously watched as Diva wiped the cream on her lips. To her surprise, Diva licked the cream from her finger and smiled at Saya.

"It tastes better when it comes from you lips," she said, giggling.

Saya's face went slightly red. She tried to deviate from the situation. "Say, where will we be going next?"

"How about we watch the whole city from up there?" Nathan suggested, pointing at the Eiffel Tower. Both girls looked up.

"I like that," Diva replied, smiling.

"Then let us go," Nathan said, standing up.

"Sure," Saya said. Both she and Diva stood up as well.

"Well, I should leave these things in the limousine before we head up there."

-ns-

"It's beautiful," Saya said in awe and wonder as they were at the top (not exactly at the top) of the Eiffel Tower. She watched the buildings, vehicles and people below. "So small!"

"Indeed it is," Nathan agreed.

"I wonder what would happen if I flung some of the humans from this height and see how they would land on the ground…" Diva mused. She giggled.

"Diva, you can't do that," Saya told her.

"Why not? It would be fun to see how they would desperately try to escape from their death even when they're plummeting down into the ground."

"It…it wouldn't be a nice mark once they land," Saya answered. She flinched inwardly, imagining how bloody and gruesome the sight might have been.

Diva pouted. "That's the point. I want to see how they make that mark."

"Diva," Saya began.

"You're such a killjoy," Diva said in her immature voice, pouting like a child. "Nee-chan doesn't have to be like Amshel."

Nathan chuckled nearby.

"I'm not trying to be like Amshel," Saya said with a sigh. "I just worry for you."

"Why? I'm not going to get hurt at all."

"Yes, that's true. But you'll get into trouble," Saya said. "And as your sister, I should see to it that that does not happen."

"Nee-chan doesn't have to worry too much." In a moment, Diva was in front of Saya, hugging her. "Besides, I get to have fun. You want me to have fun and be happy, right, nee-san?" She looked up at Saya innocently.

Saya smiled. "Of course I do. But I want to ensure your safety all the time." A chilly breeze suddenly blew by. Saya placed an arm around Diva.

"Saya-neechan will always protect me, won't she?"

"Yes."

Nathan watched the two in amusement. "Come on, you two. We better get going."

"Aww," Diva said in dismay. "Do we have to?"

"I'm afraid we have to, Diva," Saya joined in.

"If Saya-neechan says I have to, then I guess I should do what she says." Diva sighed.

"That's right," Saya smiled. "Let's get going then."

-ns-

_Still no sign of them_… Kai thought. To his disappointment, he could find not a single trace of the Schiff. He was weary; he had been walking for hours, after all. The sky was already darkening, revealing the vast expanse of the stars. There were still a few streaks of orange and pink across the heavens—the last signs of the dying light.

_I better rest a bit. _He sat down on a chair nearby. He looked down at the small table before him and saw that there was a plate of what must have been a cake or dessert of some kind. _Hmm… The person might have been really hungry that's why he ate in such a mess. _He decided to buy a small treat for himself.

He had bought a small platter of what looked like a pancake of some sort. _Strange, _he thought. _Why'd they call it __'the Crêpe' anyway? I mean, it looks like any normal pancake to me. _He set it on the small table. _Oh, man. Is this even worth it? _He scratched his head, feeling doubtful. _Well, there's no turning back, now is there? I might as well eat this instead of complaining. Woah. _He stopped when he compared his plate to the one which was left messily. _That person must have been one, big and hungry person._

As soon as he was done, he got up and resumed walking at once. _Where are they? Why can't I see any one of them?_ _We have limited time and no reinforcements. How could we possibly save Saya? _He was beginning to have regrets to whether the retrieval of Saya was still possible. _Saya… I miss you._ He stared at the ground as he walked; ignoring completely the people he passed by._ Everyone does. Even Haji. But up to now, we still can't find you. _He thought about those who took her away. He clenched his fists. _Diva… _He raised his gaze from the ground and looked around. _I'm going to—_

Kai froze.

At a distance, a little way ahead of him, across the road, Diva stood. "Diva…" Kai said softly. As if hearing him say her name, Diva faced him and smiled sweetly. She held the girl she was with around the arm and leaned on her shoulder. Kai realized in shock that the girl Diva was with was no other than Saya herself. He saw that Saya's hair had lengthened, reaching down a bit to her shoulders. His heart started to beat rapidly, pounding his chest with each passing second. Under the normal circumstances, he would have reacted at once and would have ran to them without giving much thought to what he was doing. Nor would he hesitate at the slightest. However, though his shoulders were shaking with emotions he could not tell apart and though he could have dashed toward them due to sudden pump of adrenaline into his body, he could not. Human instinct had held him back. And as a result, he just stood there, motionless like a statue, eyes wide and glaring at the one and only enemy who stole away his sister, and the very person who threatened all of humanity: Diva.

_Saya…she's here. She's with Diva. I have to do something. I have to do something to get Saya back! I… _Kai could do nothing to stop them. His feet remained firmly planted in place, refusing to move. His mind had gone blank as well, not seeming to comprehend with the situation. Practically, he was helpless as the two entered the limousine which was opened by a blond man wearing a purple suit with his chest being slightly revealed.

Diva glanced at him slyly. Saya did not seem to notice him and though she would have, it was obvious that Diva was preventing such from occurring.

"Saya…" Kai released the named through dry lips._ Move! _he screamed in his mind. Finally, his feet began to comply with his commands. Before he could even take a step or make any other move toward them, a cold voice in his head made everything in him freeze in fear.

_Stay away from her._

It was clearly a threat. A warning. Kai saw Diva wink at him slyly before entering the limousine with Saya. He knew she had telepathically conveyed the message to him. And it made his bones chill and his guts sick just hearing the voice. The message itself made his heart falter. The blond man in the purple suit closed the door and headed for the front and entered beside the driver.

Kai watched helplessly as the limousine started its engine and slowly drove off down the road.

-ns-

"We have received the satellite images from HQ a few hours ago while we were in Bordeaux," David said that evening as everyone gathered in the living room of the apartment. He looked around. Everyone was present, except for one person. "Where's Kai?"

"He's…not yet here," Mao answered.

"Did I not give you clear instructions to not let Kai out of the apartment?" David inquired grimly.

"Well, what could I do to stop him?" Mao said. "Even if I did try to prevent him from leaving, he'd force his way through me. Besides, I contacted him a few hours earlier."

"Where was he?"

"He just said he was in a restaurant. He didn't come back for lunch. That's why he said he'd be eating there instead."

"And so where is he now?"

"I don't know. I wasn't able to contact him after that."

"Lewis," David turned to Lewis. "Try to contact him now."

"Alright." Lewis took out his cell phone and was about to call Kai when the door suddenly opened.

"Sorry I'm late," the ginger-haired teenager said as he entered, dragging his feet behind him. He walked past Haji who watched him in silence. Everyone watched him as he wearily headed for the sofa.

"Kai, where were you?" David asked.

"Hmm?" Kai was hardly even took notice of the people around him. He fell back into the sofa. He was sweating heavily.

"Kai, what happened to you?" Mao asked worriedly. "I'll go get some water." She headed for the kitchen.

There were a few moments of silence. Kai rested his hand on his face and remained motionless. His emotions were mixed, burning inside him, but he struggled to keep them under control. Mao had returned quickly to the living room, holding a glass of water.

"Here," she said, handing the glass to Kai. Kai said nothing to thank her and took the glass. He bit his lip and then decided to drink the liquid. He felt as the water moistened his dry lips and ran down his throat, quenching his thirst. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and placed the glass on the low table in front on him. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs and the rest of his upper body followed.

"Where were you the whole day?" David questioned. "I told you not to leave the apartment."

Kai made no reply.

"Kai—"

"Say," Kai began, lowering his head. His lips were quivering. Pronouncing the words was a difficult thing on his part. "What would you have done…if you saw Saya and Diva just in front of you…?"

-ns-

David was unable to speak. Everyone had been stunned by the question. Even Haji reacted, though vague.

"What do you mean?" Lewis asked.

"I…I saw them a few hours earlier," Kai said, his voice strangely low.

"Here? Here in Paris?" David questioned.

"Yes."

"What were they doing here?"

"I don't know. They were already about to ride this limousine."

"What was the limousine's plate number?"

"I didn't see it." Kai clenched his fists. "I couldn't do anything at all… I was just standing there like a coward. I was just watching that whore take Saya along with her!" Mao went to his side and rubbed his shoulder, concerned. "I tried to head for them. But _she _warned me. She said in my mind that I should stay away from Saya… It made me stop dead like hell… It did!"

Julia glanced at David. "She must have conveyed the message telepathically."

"Queens and Chevaliers are capable of such. It is nothing we should be surprised about," David told her. "However, our concern is their presence _here_. So it just means that while we were there in Bordeaux, they were out here in Paris."

"I doubt they would bring a lot of Chevaliers along with them." Okamura shrugged.

"We've only detected the presence of two Chiroptera this morning," Lewis said. "However, hours after that, we only detected one."

"Which means that…"

"I saw this guy," Kai interrupted. His head was still lowered. "He was with Diva and Saya that time when I saw them."

"Describe him for us."

"He had blond hair. And…he was wearing this purple suit."

"What?" Lewis looked confused. "Blond hair and purple suit? You mean, the 'trendy' sort of fashion?"

"It was casual, what he was wearing…and sort of gay if you look at it," Kai said. Okamura couldn't help but smile.

"Shut up, you dog," Mao snarled at him.

"The only people whom we have confirmed to be Diva's Chevaliers are Solomon Goldsmith and Karl Fei-Ong."

"If that's the case," Julia joined in. "Who could the other man that Kai mentioned be?"

"We don't know," David said. He rubbed his chin. "We can't just jump to conclusions and say that Diva has yet another Chevalier with her."

"Well, who else can he be?" Lewis said. "He was with Diva and Saya, wasn't he? Those two won't be going off on their own without a Chevalier, not even when they could hold off on their own."

"We have to investigate if—"

"'Investigate'?" Kai repeated harshly. "We have two days left before they take Saya to London. How could you possibly think of investigating right now?"

"He's right, David," Lewis agreed. "Investigating on this matter would only consume our time."

"No doubt it would," David said. "So here we now come to our main priority: the retrieval of Saya." He brought out the device. "As I had said earlier, we have received the satellite pictures while in Bordeaux. And we have confirmed that there is a house standing at the edge of the forest, near a road and opposite the 'Zoo'."

"Pictures?" Kai suddenly stood up. "What pictures?"

David handed the device to Kai. Kai stared intently at the picture.

"It seems to be some ordinary house," David said. "It's in a clearing. If we imagine the ruins to be at the northern-west part, the house is located at the southern-east part." He took the device from Kai. "Here, we were able to identify Saya and Diva, a short distance from the house," he showed the picture. Kai's eyes widened in shock. True enough, in the small screen, he saw two girls standing together. The other had long, dark hair, the other had shorter hair. Even when their backs were turned, there was already a resemblance seen between the two.

"Saya…" Kai said softly.

"And here, in another picture taken days ago, we see two people, one with blond hair, and one with dark hair. We suspect that the first man was Solomon Goldsmith. The other was one Julia had to investigate about."

"As of the moment, all we learned from this guy was his name: Amshel Goldsmith," Okamura said.

"Goldsmith?" Kai repeated. He tried to study the picture closely.

"The Goldsmiths are the ones who control the Cinq Fléches as a whole," Okamura explained further.

"Isn't the Solomon Goldsmith guy the CEO of that company?" Mao asked.

"Overall, yes," Okamura replied. "And this Amshel person seems to hold the whole company in his hands."

"We suspect that…" Lewis' voice trailed off.

"…this is another Chevalier," Kai finished. "But how could there be so many?"

"We don't know," David said. "That is why recovering Saya would be much more difficult than we had expected."

"We have so much limited time," Kai said, suddenly losing hope.

"We have good news, though," Lewis said with a smile. "Right now, HQ is in Marseilles. We have contacted Joel regarding this matter and thankfully, through the meeting we had with them shortly after, we were able to get ourselves some help."

"You mean reinforcements?"

"Yep. They should be on their way here by now," Lewis said.

"So what do we do now?" Kai asked.

"We think of a plan while we're at it," David said. "Saya's departure would be after two days. Tomorrow night is the time we plan to attack. And this time," David brought out a small case and opened it, showing green and red bullets. He handed the whole case to Kai. "This time, you are coming along."

Kai nodded. He took the case in his hands.

"The red ones explode in the area of contact," David told him.

"You know, he had to request that from Joel himself," Lewis said with a grin.

"Shut up, Lewis," David said grimly.

"What?" Lewis said while chuckling. "I'm just telling the truth here."

David sat down. "Okamura would also be part of this mission."

"Yeah, sure—what?" Okamura stared at David in surprise.

"Oh please, all he knows how to handle is his dumb camera," Mao said with a snort of ridicule.

"Your father was a great man; he was brave enough to take those pictures during the Vietnam War," David said. "But in this fight, you could prove yourself better."

"Yeah," Okamura sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess so."

"Hey, since everyone is so worked up here, why don't I make some coffee?" Mao suggested.

"Please do," Julia said mildly.

As Mao headed for the kitchen, she heard David's voice, "Though we are incompetent when it comes to direct contact with chiroptera, we have received specially-designed weapons and ammo, similar to Kai's…"

-ns-

Saya and Diva had fallen asleep in the limousine during the trip. Nathan watched the two, thinking on what he should do. Soon, Karl, who was left behind, appeared by Nathan's side.

"Dear, oh dear," Nathan said, pacing back and forth beside the limousine.

"What's wrong?" Karl asked.

"Well, those two fell asleep. We can't just wake them from their nap. I wouldn't dare doing such," Nathan said.

"Well, why wouldn't we just carry each in our arms?" Karl suggested. "It isn't much of a problem if you look at it."

Nathan stared at him for a moment. "Have you ever witnessed them awakening when they don't wish to awaken?"

"No. Why?"

"They aren't too nice to handle once we accidentally wake them up."

"But we have no other choice, now do we?" Karl pointed out.

Nathan ran a hand across his cheek. "I suppose you're right," he sighed. "Well, I'd be handling Diva." He glanced slyly at Karl. "You wouldn't mind if I left you with Saya, yes?"

"No. Not at all," Karl did not seem to show any sign of discomfort, to Nathan's disappointment. Nathan shrugged and leaned inside the limousine. He later held Diva in his arms, who instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll be going ahead," Nathan said. "Please make sure that Saya reaches the bed safe and sound."

Karl sensed something in his voice and was about to answer back in his irritation. But the lax Chevalier had already entered the house. Karl entered the limousine and saw Saya, sound asleep. His arm started to shake uncontrollably again, but he strived to control it. It took a few minutes before he could calm his senses down. He sighed, as soon as everything went back to normal. He slowly reached out for the elder queen and held her in his arms. He took her out carefully, as if he were holding the most precious, delicate object that he feared would break at his touch.

Saya was amazingly soft and warm, a thing Karl had least expected to feel when he held her. Such were a sharp contrast for whom he wished her to be: wild, uncontrollable and an unfeeling killer. She also carried this unusual sweet scent that had him drawn to her, almost instinctively.

_What is this…? _Karl wondered, staring down at Saya curiously. _Why does she feel so different? I…don't understand. _Though some part of him wished to kill her right now, since this was the perfect chance ever to cross roads with him, he was strangely overcome by tenderness and loving affection toward the person he was then holding in his very arms. Saya, though asleep, placed her arms around his shoulders and snuggled closer to him. Karl froze momentarily, surprised. He studied her features for a moment. In her sleep, Saya was very much different. In one way, she closely resembled Diva. She had a serene, gentle face but her countenance was still fierce, and though he hated to admit it, she was intimidating.

"Haji…" Saya said softly.

_Haji? _Karl headed into the house. _She still remembers him. That undeserving dog that follows her wherever she goes. She could still remember him. _Karl looked down at the elder queen once more, amusement and vague hatred reflecting in his eyes. _I am not Haji, Saya. I am Karl Fei-Ong. Please remember my name, Saya…_

As he entered the room, Saya began to say things again. "Karl…?" she repeated softly. A smile of combined emotions quirked in the corners of Karl's mouth. _That's it, Saya. Remember me. Remember me and I shall be yours… _He placed her gently beside the younger queen and stepped back to admire the two in silence.

"Always so beautiful," Nathan mused.

"Indeed."

"Very good, Karl Fei-Ong," Nathan dipped his head slightly. "You have succeeded in bringing in the other queen safe and sound, as I had expected."

Karl grunted and left the bedroom at once. Nathan watched him leave, smiling. _I wonder how things would unfold for you, my dearest Saya, _Nathan thought, watching the elder twin fondly. _The heart is the most difficult thing to own in this world, after all._

_

* * *

_

_ Now that you're done reading and now you want to know what my mistake was, here it goes: (This is the TRUE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS)_

_SUMMARY (from chapters 8 to 12):_

_VII. "Acquaintance"- Kai first meets Irene. He learns of the report of the death of two teenage girls who were drained of blood._

_VIII. "Guest"- Karl's first appearance. This is the part where Amshel mentions his preparations on their departure to London._

_IX. "Blinded"- I show mostly Karl here. And if you would recall the last part, he kissed Saya while she was still asleep. There are four days before departure to London. _

_X. "Searching"; Part I- Kai encounters the Schiff. Haji saves him right on time. _

"_Searching"; Part II- This is where they have a discussion regarding Saya and Diva's departure to London. This was where Kai argued against David and, well, he lost. There are approximately three days before Diva and the rest would leave._

_XI. "Unable To"; Part I- Here, I show some parts of Saya and Diva and some parts of Kai. This was where Diva decided they would go to Paris for some final 'sightseeing' since their departure for London was two days away._

"_Unable to"; Part II- Diva and Saya spend their time together in Paris. Kai sees them as they were leaving but unfortunately is unable to do anything because Diva threatened him. He goes off telling David and again they have another discussion. Reinforcements from HQ in Marseilles is on their way to them for extra help. David allows Kai to partake of the mission. They mention that the following night would be the time when they would try to recover Saya._

_ I unintentionally placed the chapter entitled "Blinded" after the chapter entitled "Searching" in the original sequence. But don't follow that. What I have presented to you just now is the real, new and not to mention correct order of the chapters. _

_I've also had a dreadful mistake with the number of days with Diva and Saya's departure to London. So I also included the real number of days before they leave in the summary._

_And please 'Don't forget to give your feedback'. (You could tell me how stupid and reckless I am... Seriously. I wouldn't mind. I wish somebody could hit me right now…)_

_And if you didn't review because you had other reasons and I was just being overly dramatic and sensitive with the situation, then you could just say so in your comment._

_Please don't lose interest! Sometimes, I just say things thoughtlessly... But I swear that I didn't mean to hurt, offend or annoy anyone. I still want to continue this fanfic and I need you to continue reading it..._

_Again, I'm sorry...  
_


	14. Chapter 12: The Forgotten

_Uhm, yeah, so I went a little bit overboard… So you guys don't even know what I'm referring to, huh? Thank goodness…_

_So this chapter is more on Saya and Diva. Yes, I'm quite aware that you want something else to happen. But while I'm working on the preceding chapters, I made this one for you guys to read while waiting. Well, this part of the story isn't that important. I mean, it's just another boring ol' chapter._

_If you don't feel like reading it, it's okay. If you plan to read it, it's okay, too. Either way, I'll just remind you that this chapter doesn't contain much. I kind of actually made this before the comments that you gave…and I don't really want to change it or remove it 'cause I somehow like it…and I don't want to waste my effort for staying up late at nigh just to write this…_

_So while I'm still making the other chapter, you could read this for the meantime…_

_

* * *

_

Chapter XII

The Forgotten

…

"_Hey, Saya!" Kai called, waving at her from a distance. "Come over here! The food is great!"_

"_And Dad even cooked your favorite!" Riku joined in._

"_I'm coming!" Saya said. She struggled to walk. The large, heavy chains on her wrists and feet were slowing her down. "It's getting…hard to move…" she said softly._

"_Saya," a familiar, stoic voice said behind her. Saya spun around and saw Haji._

"_Haji…" she said. "It's you."_

"_Why did you call me, Saya? Did you need something?" Haji inquired._

"_I didn't really call you…but could you do me a favor and remove all these chains for me?"_

"_I cannot," Haji answered._

"_Eh? Why not?" _

"_Because it is far too impossible for you to escape."_

"_Huh?" Saya was confused. "What do you mean, Haji?"_

_Haji was gone._

"_Haji!" Saya called._

"…_I am Karl Fei-Ong." A figure stepped forward. It was the Phantom. "Remember my name, Saya…"_

"_Karl…?" Saya repeated._

"_Remember me and I shall be yours…"_

…

Saya awoke from her dreams. Her eyesight was still blurry. She stared up blankly at the ceiling. Her dream…She just awoke from her strange dream. Then again, dreams are always strange. Nothing is ever right in dreams…no matter how good or bad they are.

"Kai," Saya said softly. "Riku…and Dad…Haji…" She recalled all of them. Another person flashed in her mind. "…Karl." That was it. Karl. He was the last person to appear before her.

"_Remember my name, Saya… Remember my name and I shall be yours." _Karl's voice echoed in her head.

"Karl," she repeated blankly. "Karl…Fei-Ong."

"You can remember my child's name quite well, sister," Diva remarked beside her.

"'Child's name'?" Saya was unable to think properly of the situation she was in. For a few moments, she made no reaction. However, when the realization dawned upon her, she sat up at once. "D-Diva? You were awake the whole time?" she asked, startled.

"Wow. You're pretty slow," Diva remarked dryly. "Of course I was. Otherwise you wouldn't be asking me if I was awake this whole time."

"Erm," Saya looked away. "You…heard what I said?"

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" Diva smiled slyly. "If you liked him that much and go on daydreaming about him, you might as well just go and tell him straight."

"I don't like him!" Saya said.

"You don't?" Diva crawled over to her. "Why not?"

"He…freaks me out."

"But that's what makes him special," Diva reasoned.

"I'm not into stuff like that like that, okay?" Saya said. She leaned back into the pillows.

"Aww, why not?" Diva sat up and looked down at her. "He's a good little boy." Her expression changed into a look of irritation. "Though he could sometimes be very stubborn."

"Diva," Saya said with a sigh. "Why are we even talking about him anyway?"

"I don't know," Diva answered with a small shrug. "Who else do you want us talk about?"

"I never meant to make it seem that way, Diva," Saya said.

"Do you still want Haji to be with you?" Diva suddenly inquired.

The question was unexpected. "What?"

"Do you wish your little chevalier to always be by your side?"

"Of course I do," Saya replied. "However…"

"How do you see him, onee-chan?"

"He's family."

"Really?"

"How else should I see him?" Saya asked, feeling uneasy.

"I thought you would have far deeper feelings for him," Diva said. "After all, he's the only human you've turned into a Chevalier."

"I do not have any feelings for him!" Saya said. Her face was red with embarrassment.

"You're so defensive, onee-chan," Diva said, amused. "It was just a thought. I never said that it was true. And why is your face so red?"

Saya hid her face under the blanket. "I'm not blushing."

"I did not say anything about you blushing."

"Well, that's…" Saya was unable to say anything. She was always at difficulty when conversing with Diva, especially when it comes to reasoning.

Diva was clearly amused. She was always capable of making Saya say things without even making her how or why she had said such. It was one thing she enjoyed doing with her when she was bored. "Well, no matter how you see it, it's far too impossible to have babies with him."

"_What?_" Saya was surprised when Diva said that. Her head popped out from under the sheets.

"You can't have babies with Haji, onee-chan," Diva repeated. "The only ones who are able to do so are my children."

"How do you know?" Saya asked.

Diva giggled. "It's a little secret I cannot tell you." Her eyelids drooped half-way in boredom. "Your child is so boring and plain. I wish you had a more exciting Chevalier whom I could have for myself."

Saya reacted slightly.

"That's why I should think Karl would be perfect for you."

"I don't like him," Saya said. She placed the blanket over her head once more. "And I'm not interested in having a family of my own."

"Aww." Diva pouted. "You're so boring," she said. "How could we be sisters if you're so different from me?"

"'Don't know, 'don't care," Saya answered from under the sheets. She stifled a yawn.

"Maybe you're so sleepy, that's why you can't give a proper answer."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Saya grunted as a response.

Diva thought for a moment. A mischievous grin spread on her face when an idea reached her. "Well, since you're so sleepy, maybe I should make things a little livelier myself."

"What are you—" Saya wasn't able to continue since Diva nudged her in the ribs. "Hey, s-stop that!" Saya cried, unable to suppress her laughter as Diva went on tickling her.

"Not until you're as awake as I am," Diva answered with a wide grin.

"W-wait!" Saya laughed harder, trying to escape from the younger twin's tickling. She rolled to the edge of the bed. "'Can't breathe!" she gasped.

"That won't work on me, onee-chan." Diva continued to tickle her, this time at the sides.

"N-no! Seriously, w-wait!" Saya suddenly pulled away from the younger twin. Her movement was so quick and forceful that she was unable to control herself from falling off from the bed.

_Thud._

Diva burst into cruel, childish laughter. "That's so funny!" she cried, falling back in the bed.

"Ow," Saya groaned in pain and sat up. She rubbed the back of her neck and struggled to get up.

Diva continued to laugh hysterically in the bed, holding her stomach. "So funny!" she repeated.

"Haha. It was funny alright," Saya agreed sarcastically. She unsteadily got to her feet and stared down at the younger twin.

Diva laughed harder. She was unable to breathe properly due to her laughter.

"Stop laughing," Saya said.

"Okay, okay." Diva struggled to hold down her laughter. She gasped, taking in large amounts of air. "Okay, I had my fun."

The door opened. "It's quite noisy in here in such an early morning," Nathan remarked, poking his head inside the room. "What happened here?" he asked curiously.

"Nathan," Diva said. She laughed again and said, "You should have seen onee-chan. She fell from the bed."

"Oh my," Nathan said with a smile. "She did?"

"I did," Saya replied. "Thanks to _someone_ here." She glanced at Diva.

Diva giggled. "It wasn't my fault. Honest." She tried to appear innocent.

"Yeah, right." Saya rolled her eyes.

"Setting that aside," Nathan said. "I had Karl get your breakfast. He'll be here in just a few minutes. So you two should get up now."

"Okay," the two girls said in unison.

-ns-

"I'm tired of just staying here in this boring, old house," Diva said after they had had breakfast.

"Well, we've gone to Paris, haven't we?" Saya said. "Isn't that enough?"

"No; it's not." Diva folded her arms. "Nathan," she turned to the blond man.

"Yes?" Nathan said, raising his eyes from the book he was reading.

"Can Saya and I go to the ruins?" Diva asked.

"Why, if you feel like it, nothing's going to stop you," Nathan answered. "You're free to go if that is what you wish."

"By ruins, you mean…the Zoo?" Saya asked.

"Yes." Diva saw a troubled look on Saya's face. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Saya forced a smile.

"Do you wish Karl to accompany you?" Nathan asked. Karl was seating just nearby and was strangely quiet all throughout the hour. He showed little reaction when his name was mentioned.

"We don't need him," Diva answered flatly.

Saya glanced at Karl and saw a pained look on the Chevalier after hearing Diva's reply. She was slightly feeling sad for him after seeing how cold Diva had been treating him. But she said nothing to pursue the matter.

"Well, if you say so. You could go. Just be careful."

"You hear that, onee-chan?" Diva looked at Saya. "C'mon! Let's go!" She grabbed Saya's wrist and pulled her along.

"There's no need for such a rush," Saya said, following the blue-eyed twin.

As the two left, Karl eyed them warily and stood up as well.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked.

"I'll watch over them," was Karl's blunt reply.

"Diva said she doesn't need you," Nathan stated.

"It's no longer your concern," Karl snapped.

"If it involves my Queens, then it will always be a matter of concern." Nathan looked up from his book and stared at Karl. "My good man, do not do anything foolish." His voice held vague threat. "Not only would our dear brother Amshel be upset, you'll also anger our mother."

"You know nothing of what I am to do," Karl told him.

"Really now?" Nathan shrugged and continued to read his book. "I won't be pulled into the scolding."

-ns-

Saya and Diva were walking in the forest, heading off towards the ruins of the Zoo.

"So you're sure you know where you're going?" Saya asked.

"Trust me," Diva said. "I've known this place for a long time since then." Saya felt suddenly felt uneasy. She felt strange…and somehow afraid on what's to come.

"You know, you didn't have to be so frank with him," Saya said, trying to ignore the bothering feeling she had.

"What then? So you wanted me to lie?" Diva returned.

"That's not what I meant," Saya replied mildly.

"Why do you keep on defending him anyway?" Diva stopped walking and turned to face her twin. "You keep on denying the fact that you like him, and yet your actions clearly show otherwise."

"I don't like him!" Saya said. "It's just that you aren't being too nice."

"Does it bother you so much?"

"No…not really."

"Then just shut up."

-ns-

Saya and Diva had soon arrived at the ruins. They stood there for a moment at the entrance to the forest. Saya held Diva's hand tightly as she stared at the high tower that loomed ominously over the rest of the buildings. Diva glanced at Saya curiously. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." Saya shook her head.

"Come on." Diva did not seem to care at the least. She was much too excited to mind or think over her sibling's situation. She pulled Saya along into the Zoo's territory. Saya reluctantly followed her. The soil was then covered with cobblestones as they went around. Now that Saya was here in this very place, she was feeling much more uncomfortable. Her twin paid not much attention to her to notice how troubled she was.

"So what now?" Saya asked as they looked around.

"I know." Diva faced Saya. "Let's play a game!"

"What game?"

"Hide and seek."

"You like that game very much," Saya said, giving a wry smile.

"Of course," Diva answered. "Especially since you're the 'it'."

"But I said nothing about being the 'it'!" Saya protested.

There was a giggle. Diva was gone.

"She didn't even give me a chance to see who the real 'it' is here," Saya said to herself. "This is place is wide…not to mention with so many buildings." _Could I really find her in such a large area? _She thought. She glanced at the gloomy tower and felt a chill run down her spine. Ignoring the lingering fear she was starting to have, she turned and tried to concentrate on looking for her twin instead.

-ns-

Saya looked around. She was somewhere in the estate, lost. _Where am I? _She wondered. Somehow she had ended up in a wide area. At the side of the old, stone road were statues of lions. Her gaze wandered around and her eyes soon fell on an old, crumbled fountain. Saya easily recognized where she was. _This is…_ She took a step toward it. A scene flashed in her mind. _The large, burning flames continued to consume everything. _She halted and closed her eyes for a few moments. _It's going to be okay_, she assured herself. She slowly headed for the fallen fountain. _She saw her own reflection in the water. Long hair. Beautiful earrings. An elegant dress. And her face…which was ridden with childish curiosity._

There were plants and vines growing on it. She studied it for a moment and then walked around it and then realized there were some wild, pink roses growing nearby. She bent down and picked them. _How beautiful…_ She brought it close to her nostrils and inhaled the faint scent from the flower. She had soon forgotten that she was looking for Diva, that she was still playing the game 'hide-and-seek'. What was then occupying her mind was the place she was then in.

Saya stood up and saw the remains of what used to be the mansion. The large, wide staircase was still intact. But the rest have already crumbled away. The ruins were black. _The flames were consuming everything. Everyone lay dead. Among the flames stood a lone figure, holding Joel, her father, in her arms… _

Saya shook her head. _What's happening to me? _She ran her hand across the concrete railing of the stairs. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. Unknown fear twisted her guts. Saya spun around. She was sure somebody was standing a little way behind her. She didn't know what to do. It wasn't safe for her to stay there anymore. She continued on her way, quickening her pace as she left the ruins of the mansion behind her.

As she walked through the forest, something else flashed in her mind.

"_Saya, you don't have to run," Haji said calmly._

"_I have to see if there are still some of Joel's favorite lilies left," she said, running ahead of him. She held her skirt as she ran to prevent herself from stumbling on her beautiful dress._

"_There is no need to rush. We'll get there," Haji said._

"_But somebody could get it before I could."_

"_Saya, we're the only ones living here other than Joel, Amshel and some of the maids and menservants."_

Saya blinked and shook her head, as if to clear away the scene. _Why am I…remembering all these? _The trees had lessened as she moved forward and she soon learned why.

The grass was soft and green and the blue skies above her were filled with large clouds. A wind blew by. Saya walked over to the edge of the cliff. At the side of the cliff, quite far below her were two red lilies. _Haji reached out and grabbed the lily. The edge where he was holding on to broke off and he lost his grip on the rocks. "Haji!" she cried, watching helplessly as the young man plummeted down the cliff. She reached out to him, but it was too late…_

"Haji!" Saya cried. She returned to her senses and realized she was holding out her hand to the edge of the cliff. "Huh?" She got up and dusted herself. _What was that? _She lifted her gaze and surveyed the land before her. From her standing, she could see the familiar, gloomy tower peering at her. She shivered._ I should get going…_

Another wind blew by. There was a sudden giggle in the air. Saya had heard it, but was unsure if it were real. _Was it my imagination? _She wondered. There was another giggle, which proved that what she had heard was real. Saya spun her head around, trying to search the location from where the giggle came from. She was unaware that Diva was just nearby, hidden among the trees and bushes.

"Onee-chan!" a familiar, melodic voice sang.

"Diva?" Saya twirled on her heels. The moment she did, she saw Diva already leaping towards her.

_Thud._

"My…back…" Saya struggled to say under Diva's weight. She gave a small groan of pain. Diva hugged her and giggled again.

"It is I who found you," Diva said. "Not you who found me."

"I…" Saya grimaced. "I could see that…"

Diva—fortunately—got up to allow Saya to sit up straight. The red-eyed twin rubbed her back.

"You were taking so long in looking for me that I had to search for you myself," Diva said.

"So you were the one who was following me all along?" Saya asked.

Diva stared at her. "What are you talking about? I wasn't anywhere near you." She pointed at the tower. "I was down there, waiting for you. But you didn't come so I had to trace your whereabouts."

"But I sensed someone following me," Saya said.

Diva shrugged. "It was just your imagination. I bet you were lost in your world of thought that's why you get to see things."

"Don't say that," Saya said.

"I say what I want to say." Diva pulled Saya by the wrist. "C'mon. Let's go to the tower."

Saya remained firmly in her place. Diva looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Saya lied, deciding it was best to just follow after her sister.

-ns-

Saya stared up at the tower. Its height intimidated her. There was a hole on the floor and she saw the waterway. On the tower itself was another hole. _"Out of the way," Diva said, flinging her roughly to the side. She smashed against wall with such force that the impact had actually created a large hole. Through there, she came through and was falling from the tower. She landed heavily on the ground. "Saya!" Lewis called to her. Before she could get up, the ground gave way and she fell straight into the sewage below… _

Saya shook her head. Diva was already up on the tower by then for she went ahead of her. In the silence that was beginning to overcome the area, a song ensued. Saya looked up at the tower again. The song emanated from the ancient walls, filling the empty space in the air. It was ghostly, haunting song that held her in place. A wave of nostalgia brushed over her. She closed her eyes, wanting the voice to wrap her in its own world of mystery. However, another scene flashed in her mind.

_She was running down the hallway, toward the large door that came between her and her newfound friend… She held the key in her hands and with it, she unlocked the gate… The lock gave way with a low 'click' and fell on the cold floor… _Saya shook her head, trying to keep the scenes away. But they just kept coming in. _As she ran down to the mansion, she was frantic. ''Haji! Haji has been..." her voice trailed off. People lay around everywhere, all dead. Everything was in flames._

"Make it stop! Please… Please make it stop…!" she cried, falling to her knees._ Amongst the flames stood a lone figure… She narrowed her eyes on her and saw her twin sister… She was holding Joel, her father, in her arms…biting into his neck…slowly drinking away his life. As she fed, her eyes were glowing brightly, both with hatred…and satisfaction._

Saya's cries had alarmed the younger twin. She was in front of Saya within a few moments. "Onee-chan?" she said curiously.

Saya stared up at her, wide-eyed. Diva stood before her, wondering what was going on. _She was standing among the large flames, a cruel smile across her bloodied face… _"No…"

"Saya?" Diva took a step toward her.

"No!" Saya got to her feet and turned to run away. The blue-eyed Queen was faster than her and in a moment was behind Saya. Though Saya tried to run away, she stumbled into Diva's very arms instead and pulled away. Diva quickly caught her in her arms.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong?" Diva asked.

"No! Stay away from me!" Saya cried, trying to break away from Diva's grasp. But the younger queen held her firmly.

"Onee-chan?" Diva saw fear filling Saya's eyes. It was one thing she wanted to see in her. But Saya looked different. She was _horrified_. She was not just scared. And seeing that, Diva did not know how she would react. However, she knew she had to do something.

"Let me go!" Saya cried. "Let me—" she was stunned when she felt a warm embrace.

"What's wrong, onee-chan?" Diva asked softly. "Why are you scared?" She pulled Saya closer.

"Diva…" Saya couldn't say anything. Feeling guilty, she merely cried into Diva's shoulder. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Diva! I didn't know…"

Diva tightened her embrace on Saya. It wasn't really in her to do this. But seeing Saya so scared…Diva didn't know what to do. She didn't want to see Saya this way. She once saw a little girl crying loudly. She saw her older sister kneel in front of her and hug her. "Don't cry, Keisha. It's going to be okay because I'm here. So don't cry…" That was what she heard the older sister say as a means of comfort to her younger sibling as she embraced her. Diva saw how it had succeeded in comforting the little girl, so she thought it would work with Saya as well.

Saya leaned heavily on Diva. Both sank to their knees.

"Onee-chan…" Diva said softly.

"I keep on seeing all these things…" Saya sobbed.

"Onee-chan, it's okay," Diva said gently. "It's okay…"

"It's not!" Saya cried. "I didn't want to see those memories anymore… I don't want to…"

Diva heard a chuckle of amusement nearby. She easily recognized who it was. She glared over her shoulder, into the forest where the stranger stood. _Stay away_, she snarled at him. The shadowed stranger backed away in surprise for he never expected to be seen. Then, recovering from his surprise, he gave another chuckle and vanished.

-ns-

Saya was quietly sitting back in the sofa with Diva at her side and Nathan facing them, sitting on the other sofa opposite them.

"So you say you saw scenes and images from your past?" Nathan said.

Saya merely nodded.

"Well, I can't say I could help you," Nathan replied. "But it is quite strange why you are going through this at such a time."

"Where's Karl?" Diva suddenly asked. Her voice was low and ominous and she had said the name as if it were some accursed thing.

"I don't know," Nathan said. "He said he'd watch over you both."

"He did that?" Diva's face darkened. "Nathan, I'm fed up with him. Tell him to get back to where he belongs, back to Vietnam."

"My, what's this all of a sudden?" Nathan said, surprised.

"He is the reason why Saya is so troubled. He caused all those horrid things on onee-chan while I was not yet there." Diva placed a hand on Saya's.

"I did…feel his presence while I was out walking," Saya said.

"Why didn't you come back?" Diva inquired.

"I…didn't feel like it. I don't think I could. You weren't around…"

"You could have just told me when I was with you," Diva sighed.

"I didn't know…sorry."

"Your 'sorry' wouldn't change anything," Diva said dryly. She turned her attention back to Nathan. "Make him go back, Nathan. I—" she stopped half-way through her sentence.

Karl came walking in. He had a strange, sickeningly contented smile across his lips. Diva glared at him. The Chevalier flinched inwardly but tried to hide away his fright by keeping the smile on his face.

"Why do you stare at me like that, Diva?" he asked coolly.

"You're a daring, stubborn little child, aren't you, Karl?" Diva said.

"And you're a star when it comes to acting, too," Nathan added.

Karl cast him a quick, piercing look. He turned to Diva. "I don't think I disobeyed you in any way, my Queen," he told her, dipping his head respectfully.

"I see that you are also a liar," Diva observed. "You do know that no one other than me could lay a finger on Onee-chan. It is only I who could do what I want with her, be it the hurting, the playing, and even the _killing_." Saya felt a chill run up her spine. Diva was aggressively possessive when it came to her. She remained silent.

"I did not hurt her in any way, my Queen," Karl answered Diva.

"Really?" Diva smiled slyly. "Someone was stalking my dear Saya a while ago, troubling her with her old memories and the like. You wouldn't happen to know who that person was?"

"No, my Queen," Karl answered. "I know nothing of that."

"Nathan told me you went after us as soon as we left," Diva stated. "Is that true?"

Karl bit his lip. "It was, my Queen." He paused. "But I figured it was best that I would not follow you so I did not."

Diva frowned. "Where were you then?"

"It was somewhere where you need not bother thinking over, my Queen."

"Then go back to that 'somewhere' so that I would not have to bother thinking about you and that place," Diva said dryly.

Karl, looked up at her, stunned by her words. "Diva—"

"Leave," Diva cut in.

"Diva, that's too much," Saya said.

"Stay out of this," Diva snapped at her.

"If that is your wish," Karl said, lowering his head even more. Saya looked at him. The Chevalier gave her a sharp, threatening glare before reluctantly leaving.

"He won't be too far," Nathan said nonchalantly, already busy reading his book.

"He would be a wise child to keep his distance," Diva muttered. Saya saw something in her eyes. Was Diva really protective with good cause? Was she really concerned in the matter or was it just another game she wanted to indulge in as her means of amusement? Saya could not answer the question. She had been with Diva for the past months, but even up to now, she could still not unveil the younger twin's true motives.

"I'm bored," Diva avowed after a moment. She easily dismissed the issue from a while ago and held Saya's hand. "I want to play outside, onee-chan."

"Oh, sure…" Saya meekly followed the younger twin outside.

"Goodness, this story is so lame," Nathan avowed when he was alone in the room. "Who's the author of this book anyway?" He glanced at the cover of the book. "No wonder…" he muttered after reading the name printed in front. He stood up and stretched. "I better watch over those two…" he told himself, heading outside.

* * *

_So there we have it! Pretty boring, huh? Not much to read, not entertaining, yes. I agree. _

_So anyway, if you did read this chapter, thanks. I'd really appreciate it if you did so._

_And about the review thing, I'm sorry if I'm making it seem like an obligation. I take your reviews as a sign that I should continue to write. And I wouldn't really know if someone read the chapter if no one said anything about it, right?_

_But all the same, I don't want to force you to do what I'm asking. Though I could say that just even one review in a chapter is enough to inspire me to continue with what I've started..._

_So please wait for the next chapter. It's the one that's important…I think._


	15. Chapter 13: The Beginning of the Mission

_So here's the chapter I've been working on. It's great that the previous chapter was able to entertain you while I was still busy making this one. I guess you could call this chapter important. After all, I think a lot of you have been waiting for this part, right?_

_

* * *

_

Chapter XIII

The Beginning of the Mission

As Saya and Diva were sitting in the grass, with Nathan watching over them while drinking his tea, Amshel appeared. Diva, seeing the old Chevalier, quickly stood up from her place and ran to him "Amshel!" she said happily, hugging him.

Amshel looked down at her with fondness. "How are you, Diva?"

"I'm fine," Diva answered, still hugging him.

"It is nice to hear that," Amshel said. He turned to Saya. "And I do hope you are doing fine as well?"

Saya forced a smile, still uncomfortable with the austere Chevalier's treatment toward her. "I'm, uh, fine. Thank you for asking."

"A pleasure, on my part," Amshel answered. His gaze settled on Nathan. "Drinking that as you usually do, Nathan," he said.

"Why, yes, of course," Nathan said cheerily. "Would you be having some?"

"I shall pass."

"Amshel, what are you doing here?" Diva asked, breaking free from her embrace. "I thought we would be leaving tomorrow."

"We have a change of plan," Amshel answered. "We shall leave tonight."

"Oh, okay." Diva smiled cheerfully and ran back to Saya. "Did you hear that, onee-chan?" she told Saya.

"Hear what, Diva?" Saya asked.

"We're leaving for London tonight!"

"Really?"

"Why is that?" Nathan asked.

Amshel walked toward him and took a seat. "We have the Red Shield tracking us down."

"Like bloodhounds, they are," Nathan said with a laugh.

"Indeed," Amshel agreed with a smile. "Where is Karl?"

"Diva ordered him to leave. But I doubt he would follow her orders."

"What foolishness has he caused this time?" Amshel asked.

"He was troubling Saya all throughout his stay here. But he did go too far today and as a result, Diva sent him 'somewhere'."

"I see." Amshel observed Saya for a few moments. Saya was obviously enjoying her time with her sibling. "Diva shows much concern for Saya, doesn't she?"

"Yes." Nathan followed Amshel's gaze. "Don't you find it wonderful?"

"Must I?" Amshel returned.

"Oh my." Nathan smiled. "You don't like it?"

"If she keeps Diva happy, then I do not intend to do anything to her."

"Mmm…" Nathan rubbed his neck. "I wonder what will happen if Diva does get tired of her…"

-ns-

Earlier that day, when it was still dawn, Kai was already awake. He could already hear noise from the living room. He identified David's voice among the rest. The other voices were unrecognizable and he thought the reinforcements had arrived then, discussing the plans with David. There was also the constant sound of footsteps going here and there. As he got out of bed, a loud knock came to his door.

"Kai, you should get out from there now," Mao called from outside. "They're almost leaving."

"I'm coming," Kai replied, dressing into clothes he thought were proper. He soon came out and saw that everyone was getting ready to leave. Everyone glanced at him for a moment. David was indeed discussing the plans with some armed men. Haji was standing nearby, listening quietly. Julia was busy researching on her laptop. Okamura was preparing his things with Lewis. Everyone was indeed busy.

Kai headed for the kitchen and saw that Mao was also preparing the food.

"What took you so long?" Mao asked as she was placing the cooked meals into their containers.

"I was tired, that's all," Kai replied, scratching his head.

"In any case, you should be ready, too." Mao handed him his breakfast. It contained two eggs and bacon. But this time, the food was cooked properly. Before Kai could ask her a question, she said, "There's some milk in the fridge. You could drink that. Now hurry up and eat."

"Thanks, Mao," Kai said gratefully.

"I'm just trying to be helpful," was Mao's reply.

-ns-

"Please take care," Mao said as she and Julia stood at the sidewalk, watching Kai and the rest get into their respective vehicles. Kai got into the van with Lewis. Lewis was just then packing all the guns and ammo at the back where Haji was staying. David, Okamura and the rest were in another car.

"You, too, Mao," Kai said when he was inside the van. Lewis soon got into the driver's seat beside Kai.

"David," they heard Julia say.

"We will contact you when we arrive in Bordeaux," David told her.

"I understand," Julia said. "Please be careful." Her voice was laced with concern.

"You must also be watchful, Julia," was David's reply. Julia merely nodded.

"Well, we better get going," Lewis declared. "You ready?" he asked Kai.

"I sure am," Kai said with a smile.

"Then let's go." Lewis started his engine. The two cars in front of him did the same.

"Goodbye," Julia bade. Mao was beside her, waving her hand as a farewell.

Before Lewis could follow the rest who had went ahead, Mao called out to them. "Kai, when you get back, Saya should be with you, you here? If she's not, I'm going to pound you to dust!"

"I won't forget that, Mao," Kai replied. He waved at the two girls who were to be left behind. "Bye." Lewis bade them a farewell as well.

Mao nodded, contented with Kai's casual answer. Both she and Julia watched as the van followed after the two cars, driving on toward Bordeaux.

-ns-

Everything was quiet inside the van, all except the engine's rhythmic thrumming. They could see the two cars ahead of them. It was quite dark in the streets of the city. There were hardly any people outside. Kai yawned sleepily.

"You could sleep if you want," Lewis told him. "It's a long drive anyway."

"No. I'd rather not."

"Then do you want me to explain our plan for the mission?" Lewis asked.

"Sure."

-ns-

"It's good we're leaving tonight," Diva said.

"Why?" Saya asked.

Diva ripped the doll in half. "Because I'm tired of this place."

"You easily get tired of everything," Saya said with a sigh.

Diva pouted. She stared down at the doll. Then she looked at Saya. Then she returned to the doll. A mischievous smile came across her face when an idea reached her.

"Onee-chan," Diva called.

"What?" Saya faced the younger twin. The doll's head hit her directly in the face. Diva fell back into the grass, laughing.

"Very funny, Diva," Saya muttered. She held a teddy bear which was nearby. "How about I give you some of this?" She threw the stuffed toy at the younger twin.

The teddy bear got Diva in the cheek.

"Hey, no fair!" Diva cried. She grabbed a decapitated head of another doll. "Take this!" she threw at straight at Saya.

Saya blocked the head with one hand. She quickly stood up, taking whatever toys were near her. "You want a game?" she asked with a playful smile. "This is a nice one, alright." She threw a stuffed toy's disembodied arm at Diva.

Diva had taken her own bunch of toys in her arms. She easily evaded the arm and threw a leg at the elder Queen.

Saya laughed as she tried to block the leg. "Nice try!"

-ns-

"What time are we leaving anyway?" Nathan asked.

"We leave at 7:30 PM," Amshel answered.

"Why can't you make it 7:00 PM instead?" Nathan said. "I so want to leave this place."

"That's the time I have told the driver," Amshel said. "The time of our departure cannot be changed."

"But you were able to make new arrangements, right? Why not change the time as well?"

"We still have the rest of our brothers to wait for."

"Hmm…right. I forgot." Nathan leaned his chin into his clenched fist.

Both Chevaliers heard wild laughter and turned their heads to see Saya and Diva throwing destroyed toys at each other.

"There they go again," Nathan sighed. Amshel watched the two Queens play with interest.

-ns-

Saya got hit in the face again with a large stuffed red-colored dice. Diva laughed.

"You're such a loser, onee-chan!" Diva teased playfully.

"Laugh at me, will you?" Saya muttered. She was holding a large colorful ball the size of her head, in her hands. "Take this!" She threw it at Diva. Diva easily vanished from her spot. The ball hit the person who was walking towards her instead.

"S-Solomon!" Saya cried in surprise.

The ball had hit Solomon in the head instead of Diva. Diva, seeing what had happened, burst into cruel, uncontrolled laughter again. "Solomon got hit on the head!" she cried between laughs.

Solomon merely smiled. "I see you two are having a game again," he said, bending down to pick the ball up.

"I'm sorry, Solomon," Saya apologized. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright," Solomon said mildly, smiling again. "Here. I still think you need it." He gave the ball back to Saya.

"Uhm, yeah." Saya said, taking the ball in her arms. In the background, Diva was still laughing. "Shut up, Diva," she said, throwing the ball at her. The ball hit the blue-eyed Queen on the head. Instantly, Diva stopped laughing. "Hey!" she cried angrily.

"I haven't seen you for a few weeks now," Saya said.

"Yes. It has been too long," Solomon agreed. "Nii-san sometimes gives me so much work that I have no time to pay you and Diva any visits at all."

"Why are you here if you still have some other responsibilities, then?" Saya asked.

Solomon was about to answer her when Amshel intervened, "Solomon. You're finally here." Solomon's attention quickly turned to the old Chevalier. "If you'll excuse me," he said, walking past Saya. "I still have to talk to Amshel for a while. Let's chat another time." He gave his usual, gentle smile before heading off to Amshel.

"Oh, sure…" Saya moved to the side and watched the blond young man walk up to the rest of the Chevaliers. Something hit her on the back of her head.

"I got you again!" Diva cried behind her.

-ns-

"Solomon," Amshel said as Solomon came to him. "It is good that you have arrived early."

"You called me on such a short notice, nii-san," Solomon said. "I figured I had to come early because it was an emergency." He sat on a spare seat nearby. "Why did you call me a while ago?"

"We shall be leaving for London tonight," Amshel answered.

"Why is that? I thought we would be leaving tomorrow."

"The Red Shield has been tracking us down for the past few weeks. It is best that we leave at once to avoid unnecessary delays."

"I see."

"All we need to wait for now is our dear brother James," Nathan said.

"Ah, yes." Solomon looked around curiously. "Where is..."

"Karl?" Nathan finished. "He was a naughty little boy. Mother punished him by sending him away for a while."

"What exactly did he do?" Solomon asked, clearly disappointed.

"He was trying to get Saya's attention, I think," Nathan answered. "Or was it Diva's…?" He thought for a few moments.

"He is not far away," Amshel said. "He's still somewhere nearby."

"So you could sense him as well?" Nathan asked.

Amshel gave a smirk of ridicule. "It is but a simple task to do so."

-ns-

Saya and Diva were conversing side-by-side in the sofa while Amshel, Nathan and Solomon were nearby, having a conversation of their own.

"When is James coming?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know," Amshel said. "But he said he would be here as soon as possible."

"What is he doing anyway?"

"I assigned him a part of my experiments to see if 's discovery is accurate in the making of chiroptera," Amshel said.

"A man of the US Army partaking in such activities?" Nathan said with a laugh. "My oh my."

"Don't do that!" they heard Saya say angrily.

"Fine, fine." There was obvious movement in the couch where the two siblings were sitting.

"H-Hey!" Saya cried. There was laughter.

"Oh, so _this _is where you're vulnerable," Diva said. "I found your weakness!"

"You did not!"

"Yes, I did!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

The two continued to argue like little kids. The Chevaliers stopped conversing and turned their attention to what was happening between the two Queens.

"You want me to prove it?" Diva asked. "Here!" There was sudden movement again and Saya laughed. It was obvious that the two were tickling each other.

"Do they do this all the time?" Amshel asked.

"Oh, you should have seen this room when the girls decided they'd play tag inside," Nathan said. He sighed. "I had to hire a lot of maids to get this place cleaned and to replace the broken vases and destroyed furniture."

"Saya is almost as strong as Diva, if you look at it," Solomon said.

"Yes," Amshel agreed grimly.

"James!" they heard Diva cry out in delight. They turned to the door and saw the black American enter the house. Diva went up to him and at once, the dark-skinned Chevalier knelt on one knee before her.

"Diva…" James said. Diva smiled and held out her hand. The Chevalier caught it and brought it gently to his lips.

Diva giggled. "James, where were you?"

"I was just doing what Amshel had assigned me," James answered. He got to his feet.

"James," Amshel said. "How are the specimens doing?"

"It was a success," James answered dutifully.

"James, will you play with us?" Diva asked, tugging on the Chevalier's sleeve. James' face softened when he laid his eyes on her.

"Our dear little James is happy to see his Mama again," Nathan remarked sarcastically.

James threw him a sharp glare.

Nathan shrugged. "It's the truth," he said.

"I would be willing to 'play' with you, Diva," James said with an apologetic smile. "But I have to talk to Amshel for a while."

"Aww…" Diva pouted and went back to Saya, who had been watching them all throughout. The dark-skinned Chevalier's gaze settled on Saya and he stared at the red-eyed Queen for a few moments. Then, he unexpectedly dipped his head slightly to her in acknowledgement before heading to Amshel. Saya watched him in surprise, quite not understanding what the Chevalier had just done.

Diva watched the confused look on Saya's face as she watched James head to Amshel. "You could have him, too, onee-chan. That is, if he is suited for your taste."

Saya turned to Diva, even more surprised at the statement. "What are you saying?"

Diva ignored her question. "You're lucky I have so many children with me. That way, you get to choose one of them…" she smiled slyly. "Or get to have them all if you get tired of just having one to yourself."

"I'm not having any," Saya simply answered, facing the other direction. Diva giggled and sat beside her again.

"We'll see…" she ran a hand across Saya's cheek.

"Hey!" Saya faced her angrily. "You know I hate it when you do that!"

"I know," Diva replied, smiling.

-ns-

"What took you so long?" Amshel asked.

"I had to reexamine 'them' before I decided to leave," James said. "Why did you call me to come at such an unexpected time?"

"We will be going to London tonight," Amshel replied.

"Why?"

"The Red Shield…" Solomon answered.

James gave a snort of ridicule. "They're after 'her', aren't they?"

"Yes."

Nathan stood up and went to where the two girls were sitting. As he walked past James, he ran a hand across his cheek. James swatted his hand but ended up slapping his own face. "Don't touch me," he growled.

"I wasn't," Nathan said with a smile. "Alright. Now, in the tub, both of you," he said as soon as he was standing beside the two Queens.

"Aww." Diva hugged Saya around the waist. "Why so early?"

"We'll be leaving at exactly 7:30," Nathan said. "So before that happens, I have to make sure both of you are spic and span." The two stood up and followed the blond Chevalier out of the room.

"He's almost like you, nii-san," Solomon remarked as they watched the small group leave.

Amshel smirked.

"We'll be bathing together again!" Diva cried, hugging Saya around the shoulders.

"Hey, that hurt," Saya said.

"I know," Diva said with a giggle.

James watched the two in silence. Solomon smiled. Amshel's blank expression remained.

-ns-

"The operation will commence at exactly 7:00," David said as soon as they had arrived at Bordeaux. They parked their vehicles in front of the Zoo. Kai got out from the van with Lewis. Haji was outside as well.

The sun was already setting by then. It was getting cold as well. David took out his phone and contacted Julia as he had said. The rest of the men—there were eight of them—had brought out their equipment and weapons.

"Well, we should eat first before we get going," Lewis said.

"We're in a mission and all you could think about is eating?" Kai asked.

"Food is important to give us energy for the mission," Lewis replied, holding a large container of food. "Besides, while I drove all the way to this place you were sleeping like a baby."

"Fine, fine." Kai waved his hand and walked to Haji. "Hey," he called to the Chevalier. Haji said nothing and looked over at the ruins. "Can you tell if Saya is here?"

"I could feel her…but is vague," Haji answered, still looking at the Zoo.

"Well, then," Kai checked his watch. It was still 5:30 PM. "Are you ready?"

"I was from the beginning."

"That's great then." Kai saw that the Chevalier wasn't in the mood to talk. He observed that his attention was directed somewhere else, somewhere where he thought he shouldn't be treading on. "I, uh, am going to Lewis then," he said instead and walked back to the fat man.

Lewis was busy munching on his food. "I can't believe I was able to train Mao into cooking it _this _good."

"Mao cooked that?" Okamura, who had overheard what Lewis had said, asked in surprise.

"Surprising, isn't she?" Lewis said.

"Hey, I want to try some," Okamura said.

"Lewis, this isn't the time for eating," a voice interrupted. David was standing before them. "Okamura, please bring out the rest of the weapons."

"Yes, sir," Okamura said reluctantly, heading off to the car where they rode in.

"Kai," David turned to the ginger-haired teenager. "We better get you into the appropriate suit for the mission."

"But ain't this good enough?" Kai looked down at his clothes.

"Not when someone shoots you with a gun, it isn't," Lewis said, finishing his meal.

"How about him?" Kai pointed at Haji. The Chevalier stared at him blankly.

"He's a Chevalier," David replied.

"Oh. Right."

-ns-

"Are you sure they're here, Moses?" Lulu asked. She was standing on a thick branch of a tree. The rest were perched in the other nearby trees, trying to keep hidden among the leaves.

"Irene said so," Moses replied.

"Quiet, both of you," Karman interrupted. "Irene is concentrating."

Irene was indeed trying to trace the two Queens with her unusual capabilities. "They're inside the house, getting ready to leave," she said, her eyes still closed.

"Let's make this quick and attack them," Darth said.

"But…they have three, no, four Chevaliers with them…" Irene continued. "…the other is somewhere nearby…"

"What?" Karman said in surprise. "But you said there were only two a while ago."

"That was a few hours earlier, Karman," Moses said. "They must have called the others."

"Did they know we were coming?" Lulu asked.

"No; I don't think so," Moses said.

"But it seems as if—"

"I could sense humans at a distance," Irene said.

"What?" Everyone was surprised.

"Perhaps _they _are the ones who alarmed them," Karman said.

"It is possible," Moses said. "Who are they?" he asked.

Irene opened her eyes. "They're the people who were tracking Saya down."

"You mean the Red Shield?" Karman asked.

"Yes."

"Is the Chevalier with them?"

"Yes. I sensed him," Irene answered. She also sensed Kai's presence but said nothing about him. _Kai…_ she thought.

"Damned fools," Karman growled. "Because of them…"

"Karman, we can't blame anyone," Moses said mildly.

Karman scowled but said nothing.

"Perhaps they could serve as a decoy," Moses said.

-ns-

"We head through the Zoo and then the forest," David reminded everyone as they entered through the gate of the mansion. Everyone came in cautiously. "No one should be acting on his own or should separate from the group." Kai was with Lewis and Okamura near him. They were all holding their own weapons. They walked past the remains of the burned mansion. In the approaching darkness, the statues of the lions seemed more like grotesque beasts, shadowed beings of the night that were put up as ancient watchers. Kai looked at one of them, feeling a sudden chill crawl up his spine. He accidentally bumped a man who was beside him.

"Hey, watch it, kid!" the man said.

"S-Sorry, sir," Kai apologized. They were heading into the entrance of the forest where it was all the more dark and gloomy. "We head south from this point." They did as told. They walked deeper in the woods. The last dying rays of light, which could have still helped in making them see the path clearly, was then blocked out by the thick of the trees. Kai looked around cautiously. The rest were doing the same, carefully scanning their surroundings.

"We're just on the move to retrieve Saya and yet I still get the chills in this place," Okamura said.

Haji was walking calmly behind them. He sensed something in the air but said nothing.

"So, are you scared?" Lewis asked softly.

"I'm not," Kai replied.

"Then why is your hand shaking?" Lewis asked with a smile.

Kai looked down at his hand which was holding his gun. It was indeed trembling. "It's chilly in here," he lied.

"Yeah, right," Okamura said sarcastically. His voice was tensed.

Lewis chuckled. "Well, don't worry." Some men who were leading the group—and one of them was David—were already using flashlights.

"Keep it low, we don't want to alarm them," David reminded.

Kai ignored Lewis and concentrated on the path they were taking through the forest. _Saya, we're coming_. _I'm definitely going to get you back. So until then, wait for us…._

_

* * *

_

_Yeah, I, uh, kind of cut the chapter there. The next chapter is still being made. I guess you could call it a continuation of this chapter._

_So I hope I didn't disappoint anyone on this part._

_Reviews, please!  
_


	16. Chapter 14: Departure Part I

_Ta-da! It's the continuation. Uh, there's not much action in this part yet. Please don't get mad now that you see that there's a division of the chapter again. Please bear with me. At the bottom part, once you're done reading, you'll see why I had to do something relatively annoying…_

* * *

Chapter XIV

Departure

-Part I-

_(A continuation…)_

-ns-

Saya and Diva were already in new dresses, done with their bath. They, including Nathan, were all in the bedroom. Nathan was busy brushing Diva's hair and when he was done, he turned to Saya. "Oh, you're both just so lovely!" Nathan exclaimed when he was done fixing up the two. Just then, there came a knock on the door.

"Come in," Saya said.

"It's 7:00," Solomon said, entering the room. "I just thought I should remind all of you."

"Well, I should prepare your things, then," Nathan said and stood up.

"Onee-chan and I will be going out," Diva said, pulling Saya along.

"Fine," Nathan said.

Saya and Diva followed Solomon into the living room.

"Solomon, what time is our ride coming anyway?" Saya asked as they walked through the corridor.

"Nii-san told me that the limousine would be arriving right before 7:30," Solomon answered.

"So we have to wait for at least thirty minutes…" Saya said.

"Being a bit excited?" Solomon asked, a smile brightening on his face in obvious mirth.

"I guess so," Saya replied, simpering.

"It won't be too long," Solomon said. "We'll get there sooner than you could expect."

"Yeah…"

They came through the door leading to the living room. There, James and Amshel were conversing. Both stopped talking and watched the two Queens approach them instead.

"So you're both ready to leave," Amshel observed.

"We are," Diva answered cheerfully. "Otou-san, will we be staying in a nice house?"

"Of course we will," Amshel answered with a smile. "And you will perform in a wonderful stage once we get to London."

"You mean in Covent Garden?" Diva asked.

Amshel merely nodded, still smiling.

"You heard that, onee-chan?" Diva turned to Saya. "You'll be watching me sing!"

"That will indeed be wonderful," Saya agreed.

James grunted.

-ns-

"The humans are getting closer," Irene whispered.

"What do we do now?" Karman asked.

"We follow them," Moses answered. "We could take advantage of the situation once they engage in battle with the Chevaliers."

"How many humans are there anyway?" Karman asked.

"There are…" Irene tried to concentrate. "…thirteen of them, including Saya's Chevalier."

"Well, how about Saya and Diva?" Moses asked. "What is happening in the house?"

"They are getting ready to leave," Irene said.

"Well, then," Karman said with a smile. "This will be quite interesting." He revealed his spear. The rest brought out their weapons as well.

"Let's go," Moses announced. One by one, they blurred out of sight, into the darkness.

-ns-

Saya was leaning back on the sofa with Diva's head on her lap. The blue-eyed Queen had fallen asleep as soon as there was nothing else to do. Saya gazed down at her and studied her features for a few moments. Behind her, the Chevaliers were discussing things among themselves. Saya, though within hearing range, did not bother to listen to their conversations since such matters were too complicated for her or otherwise seeming so. However she was able to understand some parts without even intending to though, and these were more about the 'specimens' and the other plans Cinq Fléches must be engaged in for the following months. And again one of these was Diva's concert which they were to sponsor for. Her attention was then diverted to this new topic that they were then discussing.

"…and Diva's concert would be on?" Nathan asked.

"The following week once we arrive in London," Amshel answered.

"Say…" Saya began. The Chevaliers' attention quickly turned to her the moment she spoke. Saya felt uncomfortable when she felt that all the Chevaliers—Amshel, Solomon, Nathan and James—were then prepared to listen to what she had to say. But she still continued with the question. "Where would Diva be singing?"

"She will be performing in Covent Garden," Amshel answered.

"Oh…" Saya paused. "I've never seen her perform on the stage before."

"I see," Amshel said. "You shall have the pleasure of watching her once we arrive in London."

"Did she ever do this before?"

"Once in Berchtesgaden."

"Why is it that she did not perform in Paris?" Saya asked. "I mean, there are some opera houses here in France, after all." Amshel's interest was piqued when he saw how the matter concerned Saya. The rest of the Chevaliers were then surprised to see her interested as well. "And there's the Palais Garnier in Paris…"

"Oh?" Nathan said, impressed.

"She knows quite a lot," James observed while folding his arms.

"Indeed," Solomon agreed.

"Why didn't she perform there?" Saya asked curiously.

"We had delays," Amshel replied.

"Delays?" Saya repeated in curiosity.

"Perhaps it is best that you do not know anything regarding that matter," Amshel said grimly.

"Oh…" Saya was slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry for pressing you into a private matter…"

"It's not private, my Queen," Amshel said, his voice losing its austerity. "There are certain reasons for you to not know. And you should not have to be sorry about it. It is I who should be asking for forgiveness for not granting you knowledge into something you wish to learn of."

Saya smiled, though none of the Chevaliers would see that she did so. "It's okay. I don't really mind if I wouldn't know about it. And I guess I wouldn't be in the position to know. Perhaps it _is _something I must be off not knowing about."

"It is," Amshel said.

Saya gave a small, inward laugh. She did so without even expecting she'd do it. Somehow, the matter seemed funny to her without her even knowing why it was funny in the beginning. The Chevaliers sensed her mirth and were surprised. Amshel raised an eyebrow, his expression still unchanged. He was, nevertheless, taken by surprise at the red-eyed Queen's unexpected reaction.

"She's slowly becoming more like Diva," Solomon observed.

"More like James' Mama, indeed," Nathan agreed, glancing back at the dark-skinned Chevalier.

James was silent. He was looking at the red-eyed Queen, whose back was turned against him. "More like Diva…" he repeated blankly in a soft voice. He hardly noticed Nathan's amused chuckle.

They soon heard the engine of a vehicle outside. Amshel stood up. "It seems our ride is here," he said. "My Queen, it is best that you wake Diva right now."

Saya nodded. There was still a small smile of amusement on her face. "Okay." She shook Diva gently. "Diva? Wake up now. It's time to leave."

Diva stirred slightly and opened her eyes. She stared up at the elder twin in curiosity. "…what?"

"We're leaving," Saya said simply.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Diva asked.

"It's nothing," Saya said, her smile widening a bit more. "I'm just glad you woke up, that's all."

"Mmm…" Diva sat up at once.

Saya ran her fingers through Diva's hair. "You better fix yourself up."

"I know." As if on cue, Nathan appeared by her side, holding a hairbrush. Diva took it and gently brushed her own hair. All the while, Saya just watched her.

When she was done, Diva gave the hairbrush back to Nathan. Then she hugged Saya around the arm. "This will be fun," she said happily. "I'll be traveling to London with Saya-neechan by my side."

Saya merely smiled.

"C'mon Saya. Let's have fun here for the last time before we leave for London." Diva stood up and pulled Saya along.

"Sure…" Saya followed after her sister.

-ns-

"We're almost there," David told all of them. Kai and the rest were trailing after him. Kai's gripped on the gun tightened. _I'm coming, Saya…_

Haji was silent for the whole time, surveying his surroundings carefully. He sensed something in the air. "Look out!" he yelled suddenly.

Everyone was alarmed and looked around, holding their guns readily. But nothing happened.

"Nothing's happening," a man said aloud. After a few moments, they heard a sickening sound. The man cried out in pain. Blood spurted from his wound. Everyone turned to him and was shocked. A stake impaled the man's body. Blood trickled down his mouth.

"Gaius!" on of his comrades cried.

Gaius dropped to his knees, clutching the red spike. Kai pointed his gun to the trees above. There was an amused chuckle in the air. One of the men helped the wounded soldier and supported him by the shoulder. Gaius coughed up more blood and grasped his bleeding wound. A man tended to him and tried to pull the stake out.

The rest were raising their heads, looking around in alarm. David swore under his breath.

"Chevalier!" Lewis said.

"So you have come to steal my beloved Saya away," a voice echoed. Kai tried to search for the stranger, the Chevalier to be exact.

Another crimson spike was shot out from one of the trees, headed for Kai. Quickly, Haji used his cello case to block the attack, shoving Kai to the side. Immediately, the men shot their guns at the location where the spike came from.

As the spike was forcefully removed by his comrade, Gaius cried out in pain. David came to his side.

"Are you alright?"

"This is nothing, sir…" the man said with a wry smile, blood dripping from his chin.

Haji jumped into the high, dark trees and was hidden from sight. A clash echoed soon after. There were sparks as Haji was fighting off the Chevalier in the trees.

"Damn it!" Kai yelled angrily, looking up and trying to make out the two Chevaliers who were already engaged in combat.

"It's useless to stay here," David stood up. "We should move on!" The men nodded and ran straight ahead. Gaius was supported by David himself as they followed behind the rest, leaving Haji to fight the unidentified Chevalier.

"But Haji—"

"It's useless staying here with him, Kai!" Lewis and Kai were the only ones left.

_Go…_ a voice said in Kai's mind. Kai could sense the tension in the Chevalier's voice. He could tell that he was hard up fighting off his opponent. The clashes continued to echo in the air and there were flashes of blue above. _Find Saya and bring her back… You are the only hope, Kai…_

"Got it!" Kai ran along with the rest.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind!" Lewis cried, catching up with him.

-ns-

"And so I get to face Saya's Chevaliers again," Karl said with a smirk. He was standing on a tree a few feet away from Haji. His right arm was already in its Chiropteran form, blue skin stretching over large muscles. Thick veins spread all over it. In the center of the hand, a sharp, cruel stake protruded. "If you have come to save your precious Queen, I must tell you that it will all be in vain."

"Nonsense," was Haji's answer. He said nothing more and made for the Chevalier.

Karl easily evaded the Haji's attack and countered it by swiping him with his large, grotesque appendage. Haji jumped back to evade it and then reeled back to another direction when felt Karl appear behind him.

Landing safely on the ground, he was quick enough to shield himself from the rain of large, red spikes using his cello case. Karl gained the upper hand and quickly dashed to his side, thrusting his arm forward. Haji caught his arm with surprising quickness using his own clawed hand. Karl smirked and with his other arm, which quickly turned into a chiropteran arm as well, stabbed him through the trunk. Haji's face was expressionless but blood trickled down his chin from his mouth.

"This ugly arm which I shall use to end your life is the arm I shall use when I will kill Saya," Karl said with a manic grin.

Haji's face remained blank. He said nothing and used his free arm to shove him away using his case. Karl jumped back, pulling out his arm forcefully from Haji's side and grinning after seeing Haji cough up more blood. He landed a short distance from him and launched more of his dangerous spikes. Haji was capable of blocking them but a stray spike had shot through his shin. He leaped backwards at a safe distance and knelt on one knee. Gripping the spike in his clawed hand, he pulled it out and blood streamed from his deep wound as it slowly healed, closing over the crimson hole. He coughed up more blood and stood up, ignoring the pain.

"Perhaps after I slaughter you, I shall present your head on a platter to her so that I may be able to see her eyes fill with sheer terror again," Karl's voice echoed. Haji spun his head around, looking from here to there. "And even when she cries, her dear little Chevalier is no longer there to comfort her."

Haji took out three daggers and held them in his hand. A spike whistled past the leaves, headed directly for him. Haji countered it with his own dagger and sprung up to the person who had directed it at him.

-ns-

Kai and the rest were running in the forest. David was far behind, still trying to support the wounded soldier.

"You should go ahead, sir," Gaius struggled to say.

"I'm not leaving you behind," David told him.

The man stopped walking. "Go; please…" he grimaced, clutching his bleeding wound. "It is Saya who is our main priority. Please don't make the mission fail because of me…"

David knew that there was no time left for deciding or convincing the man. He knew such bleeding would not make him last for long as well.. He turned away. "Okay…"

Gaius leaned against the tree and grimaced. He watched the blond man catch up with the others, who were then far ahead of him. He saluted to them, a painful smile across his face.

-ns-

"There's a clearing up ahead!" one of the men cried. Kai tried to run faster, even overtaking Okamura and Lewis in his hurry. David was able to catch up beside them.

"Where's he?" Kai asked, glancing at David as they made their way through the forest.

"He wanted me to leave him…for the sake of the mission…"

-ns-

Saya and Diva were just outside. The limousine was parked nearby and the driver stood beside it, waiting patiently for everyone to show up.

"I'm quite hungry, onee-chan," Diva said. She glanced suggestively at the driver.

"Diva," Saya sighed. "We'll be having a better meal once we get to London. Besides, who'll drive once he is gone?"

"I don't know." Diva shrugged.

They both heard gunshots from afar.

"Onee-chan," Diva said, not the least alarmed. The driver was startled, hiding behind the vehicle. "Who do you think would be using guns at this time of the night?"

Saya stared back into the forest. Her eyes caught something.

-ns-

"They're here, aren't they, nii-san?" Solomon said calmly.

Amshel clasped his hands behind him. "They are."

"Foolish humans," James said.

"Nathan, please hurry up because we have to leave now," Amshel called.

"I'm coming!" came a voice from one of the rooms. After a few moments, the blond Chevalier appeared, holding a large, heavy luggage in one hand.

"What took you so long?" James demanded. "And what is that that you have with you?"

"It has their clothes," Nathan answered.

"How useless," James said. "We could buy enough for them in London. There's no sense in bringing that along with you."

"Well, it has some of my books and clothes, too," Nathan said. "It's best that we leave instead of complaining about other people's luggage that have nothing to do with us, hmm, James?

James grunted and headed out without saying anything else.

-ns-

"There!" David cried. "The house!" They saw a limousine parked a short distance from it. Kai recognized the vehicle.

"They're about to leave?" Okamura asked in shock. Kai gritted his teeth and ran faster.

-ns-

Amshel, James, Nathan and Solomon were then outside.

"That should do it," Nathan said after keeping the heavy luggage in the limousine's trunk.

"Amshel, what's going on?" Diva asked curiously as she looked up at his troubled face.

"We should leave," Amshel said. "Everyone get into the limo, _now_!" It was more of an order than a request.

Diva frowned and was about to say something. But Nathan pushed her gently on the back, toward the vehicle instead. "Now is not the time for that, Diva," he said mildly.

"Saya, get inside the limo with Diva," James ordered, not bothering to consider that he was in no position to command her for he was inferior to her.

"And you should keep your mouth shut, James," Nathan said, rather roughly, shoving him to the front beside the driver's seat. James swore under his breath but otherwise just ended up entering the limo anyway.

Diva was already inside with Nathan sitting at her right side. Saya was still looking on toward the forest. She felt something approaching her, something that she was familiar with, something which she had longed to see for a long time…

"Saya," Amshel turned to her. "Please—"

He was interrupted by a voice. "Sayyaaa!" the familiar voice called her name. "SAYYAAA!"

"Kai?" she said. She narrowed her eyes in the darkness and could make out shadows, figures, no, people running straight toward them.

"Saya!" the voice called again, the person approaching her.

"Kai!" Saya said his name. Sudden joy filled her body and she was about to run toward them in her excitement. But a strong arm pulled her back.

"Saya, you have to enter the limousine, now," Amshel said. His voice was cold then and his face was blank.

"But, it's Kai," Saya said. She tried to pull away, but it was useless. "I have to see Kai!" she cried.

"Saya, get inside," Amshel was becoming serious and impatient then.

"No!" Saya struggled to break away. She was seeing Kai for the first time after all those months. She was seeing him after a long time, wasn't she? She missed them terribly, but then someone was getting in her way. She only wanted to see Kai and the rest…

"Let me go!" Saya was able to slip her arm through Amshel's large hand. Eagerly, she faced the approaching people and was about to head for them. She heard a low curse behind her and before she could take a step to escape, Amshel pulled her back forcefully, into the limo.

There was a loud gunshot.

"Wait!" Saya cried. But she was unable to do anymore other than cry out in protest. Arms wrapped around her shoulders possessively.

"You're staying with me, onee-chan," Diva murmured into Saya's ear.

"No!" Saya struggled against the blue-eyed twin for the first time in the past few months.

"Nothing will ever come between us, onee-chan," Diva said darkly. "Not even those humans could get in the way…"

"Please stop this!" Saya cried. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to go out, but Diva held her down.

Nathan placed a hand on Saya's shoulder. "Don't do it, my dear."

James was listening to them from his seat at the front, beside the driver. He gave a low huff and folded his arms, keeping silent, knowing that it was best that he should not interfere.

"Solomon, what are you waiting for?" Amshel asked.

"Nii-san, I shall distract them to give you enough time to depart," Solomon said, facing his approaching enemies.

"Very well," Amshel said grimly.

"Now!" a voice cried. At that moment, all six Schiff were in midair, all holding their weapons to the sky in attempt to bring it down forcefully on the limousine Saya and Diva were in.

"Nii-san!" Solomon was not quick enough to fend off the Schiff. He was already preparing himself from the Red Shield's attack.

Amshel's eyes glowed red in the darkness as his piercing gaze swept from Moses to Lulu.

A growl echoed in the Schiff's minds and a strong, invincible wave from the old Chevalier sent them flying back forcefully.

"Damn!" Karman swore as he smashed into a nearby tree. The rest of his companions lay helplessly around like rag dolls.

_Do not attempt to do something so foolish_, a voice echoed in their minds.

"Nii-san, please leave!"

Moses sat up weakly and saw the old Chevalier smirk at him before entering the limousine. The driver frantically turned on the engine and drove off down the road.

* * *

_Okay, okay! I know you must be disappointed with what I've done—dividing the chapter into two parts again. I have a very good reason for doing so._

_Look: I guess I could say that you have been waiting for quite sometime for an action-packed chapter…or something like that._

_I figured it wouldn't be nice if the chapter was too long. No, seriously. I'm sure you'd lose interest, or the excitement (if ever there is any) if the chapter's waaay too long. I've experienced this myself, so I thought I should do this so you could 'enjoy' it little by little._

_Heck? What am I saying?_

_I'll be updating sooner than you could expect._

_For the meantime I, uhm, want to see your feedback. Just wait for the part II. I'm actually done with it…it just needs a little correction with the spelling, grammar and whatever that should be revised. _

_I swear that you won't have to wait long.  
_


	17. Chapter 14: Departure Part II

**Action: **Off

**Battle Scene: **Off

**Entertainment: **UndeniablyLow

**Boring-ness: **Unnaturally High

_**WARNING**_**: **_This chapter is low in action, battle scene and entertainment (as stated above). The reader might easily tire reading this because of extreme boredom and may eventually fall asleep. If you do not want this to happen, do not attempt to read._

_On the other hand, if you have insomnia and you have gone through desperate terms trying to get adequate rest, try reading this chapter and you'll fall asleep in no time!_

_(In other words, I don't know if this chapter is good enough for you…) If you still want to read, I dare you. Could you read this chapter and understand it until the very end? Interesting challenge, huh? _

_C'mon! I dare you to read this chapter without falling asleep! _

…_or getting bored. _

Chapter XIV

Departure

-Part II-

-ns-

"No!" Kai cried, watching it as it left. He had seen the Schiff try to attack the limousine as well.

"We're not the only ones here, after all," Okamura said.

"Fire!" David cried as he and the rest toward the vehicle.

"Wait!" Kai yelled. "Saya's still in there! And the Schiff! You can't hurt the Schiff!"

But none of them paid much attention to the ginger-haired teenager and his cries and stopped running, only to fire at the limousine ahead of them which was still within firing range. Solomon, who was standing in their way, was able to block the bullets with his blade. Some unfortunately had entered his body and he winced at the pain.

"Chevalier!" Okamura hissed.

Another figure jumped from the shadows and a blue-skinned chiropteran stood beside the blond Chevalier, blocking the rest of the bullets or otherwise taking in the damage himself. The men flinched at the beast and took a step back.

_Karl_, Solomon said telepathically, glancing up at the chiropteran.

_I come only to protect Diva, even when she told me to stay away,_ Karl replied curtly.

_What is he doing here? _Kai thought as he stared wide-eyed at the large beast standing beside Solomon. _Wasn't Haji battling him? If he isn't here, that means…_

There was a blue blur from the trees and Karl and Solomon vanished from their standing as a cello case was thrown at them with a loud thud.

"Haji!"

The owner of the case stood where the two Chevaliers were previously standing and retrieved it, slinging the strap over his shoulder. He stared at the rest of the men in silence. Then his eyes widened. "Look out!"

Spikes rained over the small area David, Kai and the rest were staying. Kai cursed as he tried to evade the spike.

"Be careful, kid!" a man said and shoved him to the side to save him from a spike. However, another stray spike had driven itself through his shoulder and he yelled in pain, stumbling into the grass.

"Damn it!" Kai knelt to help him up.

"Kai!"

Kai looked up just to see Solomon, raising his blade at him, intending to slice him in half. Haji quickly came and shoved him to the side with his case.

"Kai!" At once, Lewis came and helped support the man who was injured. "We can't survive if this is how it goes…" he said softly, supporting the man by the shoulder. David and the rest of the men ran up to them.

"There are two of them!" David said.

As Haji shoved him, intending to drive him into a tree, Solomon gave a small smile and stood his ground, going back against Haji. Haji jumped back into a safe distance when Solomon jabbed him at the side.

As soon as Haji landed on the grass, though, he sensed Karl behind him and disappeared, easily evading the dangerous swipe the chiropteran had attempted to inflict on him.

Haji shielded himself using his case as Karl launched another volley of spikes. Within a moment, he was able to jump into the trees and went on ahead when he felt Karl go after him.

"Haji!" David cried after him.

-ns-

Moses got up quickly and held his scythe. The rest of the Schiff got unsteadily to their feet.

"Go after him!" Karman snarled.

"Fire!" they heard a voice cry.

"Wait!" Irene heard another voice yell and identified the voice as Kai's. "Saya's still in there! And the Schiff! You can't hurt the Schiff!"

Moments after, continuous loud gunshots followed. They turned and saw the humans firing their weapons at Solomon, which was supposedly directed at the limousine.

"What the heck is that kid saying?" Karman scowled. He turned to the road where the limo had driven down into.

"We follow them!" Moses said. The rest nodded. "Let them have their own fight. It's meaningless now that they can't go after Saya." He blurred out of sight. Karman followed. Darth and Gudrif went after.

Irene was watching Kai and the rest. Worry was clear on her face. And she was shocked when she saw another Chevalier—then in a chiropteran form—appear beside the blond Chevalier.

"Aren't you coming along?" Lulu asked, looking up Irene. She and Irene were the only ones there.

Irene gazed at Lulu with a wry smile, unsure.

"I'm going where you're going," Lulu said.

-ns-

"We can't stay out here in the open," David said as they were grouped together, their backs against the other. They were holding their weapons around and were locating the chiroptera.

"We can't stay under the trees either," Lewis said. "We won't be able to see when they come."

"So either we stay under the trees or out here in the open, it's just the same, huh?" Okamura said seriously.

"Crap," Kai muttered. He knelt beside the wounded soldier who had saved his life. His companion had wrapped a thick clothe under his arm to stop the bleeding. But even under the dim moonlight, Kai could see large splotches of blood staining the white fabric. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," the soldier said with a pained smile. "Thanks for helping me, kid."

"It's Kai."

"Will."

"Where's the Chevalier? Where's Solomon?" they both heard Lewis ask.

Kai stood up. It was indeed silent then.

-ns-

Haji was springing from tree to tree. He glanced back at his right. Opposite him, at a short distance away, Karl was doing the same.

Haji had lead him away from the group of humans, intending to hold off this Chevalier. He was unsure whether David could actually lead his group and fend off the remaining Chevalier—Solomon, that is—with such a small number of companions and limited weaponry. Nevertheless, he trusted that the man could still stand his ground while he fought and wait from him to come and help them.

"It's too bad that you never got a chance to see your beloved Saya," Karl mocked.

Instantly, Haji stopped and remained fixed on the tree. How daring. The Chevalier was daring enough to provoke him with such words. But it didn't kindle any sort of hatred or anger or whatsoever. For some reason, the fact had just made him…stop.

Haji looked around. The Chevalier was nowhere to be seen.

A spike flew from one of the trees behind him. Haji jumped from the tree and glanced back to see it penetrated deeply into the tree's trunk. Another spike followed, heading for him. Haji evaded it. Another flew past as soon as he veered to the right. He was quick enough to catch it with his clawed hand.

"Saya will soon be mine!" Karl's voice echoed.

The thick, red spike snapped into two in Haji's hand.

-ns-

"It's too quiet," David said in a low voice.

Kai spun around, raising his gaze, looking sideways, searching for the remaining Chevalier. He walked back, away from the group, intending to distance himself a bit just in case they might fall into panic and bump into each other.

"Kai!" David cried, which startled him. "Behind you!"

Indeed, at his back, Solomon stood, his blade glinting dangerously under the moonlight. "Wrong move, little one," he said, raising his blade to cut the young man in half.

Kai was too slow to move away or defend himself. He shut his eyes tightly, expecting a painful attack. He heard a clang, metal contacting with metal. Nothing happened to him.

"Kai, get away!" a feminine voice said.

Kai cracked an eye open and was surprised. "Irene?"

Irene had blocked Solomon's blade with her own sword. Solomon frowned and made a quick move, so fast that Irene was unable to block it. Another clang ensued.

"Get away from here!" Lulu cried, blocking the next attack from the Chevalier.

Kai nodded and stepped away. Lulu frowned at the Chevalier and jumped back.

Solomon could have attacked at once, but he was shot by several of the Red Shield, including David, Lewis and Okamura.

"Don't stop!" David cried.

Kai turned to face Irene. "Irene! Why aren't you with the rest?"

"I decided to help you instead," Irene replied.

"Moses, Karman, Gudrif and Darth went after the vehicle," Lulu said.

"Where is he?" one of the men yelled. Every one of them had stopped shooting. Solomon was gone from his spot. The place where he once stood was then filled with smoke.

"He's hiding again," Lulu said.

David stared at the two. "Are these the Schiff that you were talking about?"

"I'm Lulu!" Lulu said cheerfully despite the difficult situation they were facing.

"And this is Irene, David," Kai said, placing a hand on Irene's shoulder. Irene gave a small smile.

"Kids…" a man muttered.

-ns-

"Since Saya is already on our side, she does not need any of you anymore," Solomon's voice echoed. Everyone was looking around in alarm, trying so desperately to locate the Chevalier. "So there's no more reason for you to try and take her back."

"Show yourself!" Kai cried, gripping his gun tightly.

Moments later, Solomon attacked again.

"Not this time!" Lulu cried, clashing against him. Solomon said nothing and slid his blade quickly, then jabbing it at her. Irene came in and blocked the attack. The rest of them fired at Solomon. Solomon frowned and retreated from his battle with the Schiff and headed for the humans instead.

"Get away!" Kai cried, stepping in front of the rest and firing his gun at him using the red bullets.

"Kai!"

Solomon ignored the pain from his gunshots. Before he could attack the ginger-haired young man, the bullets that had entered his body suddenly exploded. Kai lifted his arm to protect his face from the explosion.

"Did I get him?"

As the smoke disappeared, the Chevalier was nowhere to be found.

Solomon held his bleeding body. It pained him deeply. He was fortunate enough to survive and recover from the small explosion. The healing was quite slow as he hid from the people among the trees in the darkness. He sensed a coming attack and dashed away from the large branch he was standing on. In moments it was cut cleanly in half. Lulu was in midair, holding her ax. She smirked at the Chevalier.

Solomon's face was expressionless. He swiftly veered to the right when Irene tried to strike him from behind with her sword. Then a few gunshots from below came through him and he dropped to the ground. He was able to land on one knee. Bullets came right at him as soon as he was on the ground. The men came after him. Solomon dashed away but Kai was already in the way. Kai quickly shot at him using another of his red bullets. Solomon evaded his attack. The tree that was hit with the bullets exploded behind him. Solomon muttered something as he thrust his sword forward, intending to impale the young man through the abdomen. Again, Irene intervened with her sword and Lulu appeared at her side, striking him. He tried to dodge it but felt another volley of bullets from behind. He frowned deeply and tried to escape from all of their attacks.

-ns-

As Moses and Gudrif were leaping from tree to tree, with Karman and Darth were below on the ground, traveling with equal speed, Moses noticed something.

"Where's Irene?" Moses asked.

"I don't know," Gudrif replied.

"Lulu isn't with us either," Darth added.

"Don't tell me…"

"She stayed behind with the humans," Karman finished with a growl.

_With that human boy, Kai…_Moses thought. "We'll be chiding them later. Right now, we're still going after Saya and Diva."

"Hopefully, the brats are still alive," Darth muttered.

"Darth!" Gudrif said angrily.

Just ahead of them was the limousine.

-ns-

"No!" Saya cried. She was looking behind her, trying to catch sight of the people left behind. But all she saw was a cluster of trees. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She never felt as bad as before. It never occurred to her that it was _this _painful to leave them all behind. She could not understand why it was only then that she felt so bad. And it seemed to her that her stay with the Diva and her Chevaliers was wrong. In those moments when she was pained deeply, it all felt so wrong.

_I don't want to leave! _Her mind screamed. _I…I still miss them! _That was it. Despite the long months with her sister, they still held a part of her life. She was a part of them as much as they were a part of her. She couldn't leave them behind. _I can't! I can't leave… _

No, she couldn't leave…she couldn't leave a part of herself behind. Kai, David, Lewis were there…she saw them. They were there. She even felt Haji's presence. They came all this way to take her back. But she couldn't even greet them. She could only watch helplessly as they strived to get to her.

"Stop it, onee-chan," Diva said, obviously irritated.

Saya continued to cry, paying no heed to her sister. Even in those moments, Diva didn't even seem like a sister. So Saya continued to sob in her hands, ignoring everyone and everything. They all seemed so cold then. Cold and uncaring. And she was feeling as cold as well.

Then, in the most unexpected time, Amshel said, "All will be well, my Queen. There is no sense in crying." His voice was cold, but strangely held little warmth.

Saya looked up at him. There was a faint hint of concern in his eyes and a small smile of sympathy quirked on he corners of his lips. Then she felt guilty again. This time for having to be a trouble to everyone.

She faced Diva, who had been holding her down with brutal strength, and leaned on her, wrapping her arms around the younger Queen, ignoring the pain Diva had caused on her. Then she sobbed on her shoulder, not caring whether the younger twin would react angrily or otherwise. All she wanted now was an embrace. She didn't care who she had to hug. She merely wanted to be wrapped in someone's arms as a means of comfort.

Diva was speechless. There was a strange smile dancing on her lips. She said nothing and hugged Saya in her arms instead, rubbing her back gently.

"We still have some of our guests trailing after us," Nathan said, looking behind him. The Schiff were still behind, following after the limousine with inhuman speed. They were holding dangerous weapons in their hands.

"I know," was Amshel's reply.

"So what do we do now?"

"I'll stay behind," James said after a moment.

"Oh so you're willing to fight?" Nathan asked.

"For Diva's sake, I will stay and fight those fools," James replied.

"Very well," Amshel said.

The limousine slowed down until it came to a stop.

"They're stopping!" Moses cried. "Now's the chance!"

James stepped out of the vehicle.

"Have fun," Nathan said with a smile. The dark-skinned Chevalier ignored him and closed the door to the limo, facing the coming Schiff. The limo drove off at once, easily picking up speed.

"No one shall get in the way with Diva," James snarled as one of the Schiff jumped up at him, bringing down his scythe with brutal force. James smirked and easily evaded it. In the darkness, his eyes glowed a dangerous red. "All who do shall pay with their life…"

-ns-

Solomon was in one of the trees again. He was able to leave severe gashes on three other men, including David.

"David!" Kai cried, running to his side. "Are you alright?"

"This is nothing," David said. He grimaced and grasped his bleeding arm.

"It is best that you would retreat," Solomon said. Irene and Lulu stood in front of the humans, ready for a coming attack. Though they were a lot, they were slowly losing to the Chevalier. "I do not want to cause anymore unnecessary bloodshed."

"Bastard!" Kai snarled. He was out of the red bullets.

"Damn you!" a man who had lost all sense after seeing his comrades fall, swore harshly. He was holding a large gun in his hands and he ran towards Solomon.

"No, wait!" Okamura cried.

The man ignored them and fired recklessly at the blond Chevalier. A red stake from out of nowhere came through his neck and the man was killed at once, falling to the ground with a heavy _thud_. Laughter followed afterwards.

Kai's eyes widened in shock. Everyone was alarmed greatly. Lulu and Irene braced themselves. "It's the other Chevalier!" Irene hissed.

Haji suddenly appeared beside them. He was staring intently at something else.

"Haji!" Lewis cried in surprise.

_Where's the other Chevalier? _Kai thought. _Was Haji able to take him down?_

"Get away!" Irene and Lulu suddenly cried. A rain of red spikes fell on them. Kai pulled David along with him to the side. The rest were able to dodge it. Irene, Lulu and Haji countered the other spikes or otherwise blocked them with their weapons.

Unfortunately, a spike got another man in the leg. The man yelled in pain, curling on the ground. Immediately, Okamura came to his side and pulled him safely with the rest.

Five of them were already severely wounded, but they were still able to stand.

-ns-

Karl appeared at a short distance from them. Lewis and the rest pointed their guns at him. Haji, Irene and Lulu stood in front protectively. They were running out of ammo. And they were all aware that they were going to lose if they no longer had any bullets left. Close combat with a Chevalier was impossible, even when they had daggers, swords and the like.

"I can see that you are losing," Karl said in a low growl. He was already in his chiropteran form. The rest of the men flinched at the grotesque beast before them. "I would gladly want to kill all of you…" He raised his arm at them. The large stake in the middle slowly came out.

"Enough," a voice said mildly. In a few moments, Solomon was beside the chiropteran. He held Karl's arm down. "There's no sense in killing them when they could no longer defend themselves."

"What are you saying?" Karl snarled at him.

"I stayed only to distract them. I want to avoid unnecessary killing with these people," Solomon said. "Let's go."

"I'm not taking any orders from you," Karl growled.

"I'm not going to waste my energy on bringing you along, Karl." Something glinted in Solomon's eyes. "As an older brother, I find it is best we leave."

Karl growled at him. He turned to the humans. "I'll kill you another time." After saying those, he jumped back into the trees, quickly disappearing in the depths of the darkness.

"I'm sure you'll make no further attempt to take Saya back since you already know who you're facing," Solomon said seriously. "Goodbye." In a few moments, he was gone as well.

"No, wait!" Kai yelled. But the young man had ignored his cries and left. "Damn it!" In his desperation, he ran to the spot where Solomon and Karl have disappeared and fired his gun at the trees. "You're not going anywhere! So come out! Come out so we could fight you damned bastards!"

"Kai…" Irene said softly.

"Come back here and fight!" Kai continued to fire recklessly. He was about to follow them into the forest but a strong hand held him in place.

"Kai," David said grimly. "Enough…"

"Get away from me!" Kai shrugged his hand off but felt the force on his shoulder. Finding no better thing to do, he continued to fire his gun at the place where Solomon and Karl jumped into. He did so until there were no bullets left and his chamber was empty. But he was still pulling helplessly on the trigger, hardly even noticing that he was out of bullets. "Come back here…come back so that I could fight you for taking Saya away…" Realizing that his gun was already out of ammo, he fell to his knees. "Give me back Saya…" he said hopelessly.

"Kai, we should retreat," David told him.

The words shocked him. How could David give up so easily? "We should go after them!"

Some ignored him, and have chosen to do so. Lewis' head was lowered. Irene and Lulu stared at him silently while Haji was still looking at the cluster of tree where Solomon and Karl retreated to. Everyone was silent. David looked at him gravely, still clutching his bleeding shoulder.

"We have to go back," he said in a low voice which was slightly laced with pain.

"But we still have a chance!" Kai said desperately. "We could still get Saya back!"

The men shook their heads. Irene and Lulu looked at him sadly.

"It's best that we retreat," Lewis said, now serious.

"But—"

"We head back," David said sharply. He grimaced. Everyone stood up. The three men who were wounded were tended to by Will and another fellow soldier. Their gashes were bleeding profusely and it was difficult trying to stop the bleeding. "It is best that we head first to Marseilles and report of our mission at HQ."

"No…" Kai watched them, wide-eyed. Even Haji followed along with them without question. David had asked him to carry the soldier who was killed and he took the dead body in his arms and hoisted it over one shoulder.

_How could they give up in retrieving Saya?_

"Haji," Kai called weakly at the Chevalier.

Haji stopped walking, but did not turn face him.

"Please… you have to listen to me. We should get Saya back…"

The Chevalier said nothing and continued to follow the rest.

Kai stared at him, stunned. He lowered his head, feeling defeated, feeling the frustration and anger of failing, of being left behind…

A few drops of tears fell on the grass.

"Damn it…"

…

_I think this chapter is as boring. What do you think? Is it good enough? I'm not really good with battle scenes and the like and I bet that it's pretty obvious the way I wrote it. I don't know how you could have even imagined the scenes._

_I hate it when I use the word 'slash' when two guys are engaged in fighting in a story. For instance: 'The guy tried to SLASH his opponent with his sword but his attack was ridiculously unsuccessful.' See that? It's so…annoying. I remember using that word in my very first chapter of this fanfic, when Saya was battling against Solomon in the Zoo. Goodness, it was so…gah! It was just so frustrating! I hated it! _

_Did I use 'that' word in this chapter? _

_I suck in battle scenes…_

_hope you enjoyed it._

_and the reviews..._


	18. Chapter 15: Our Regrets

_Oh, so you think the last chapter was pretty okay…and a bit too hasty? Heh… Yeah, about that… I was wondering if you would still be reading even if this fanfic would extend to such a long time. I thought it wouldn't be a good thing if it were to turn out that way so I decided to rush things up a bit…_

_Consider the matter later, maybe after you're done reading this chapter._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XV

Our Regrets

…

_The darkness was trying to engulf her. But she didn't care. She was running, running like the wind, running away with no understanding of where she was headed to. She held no true objection at all. Where was she going? Where was her home? Everything was dark…there was no light to see, no hope to feel, absolutely nothing to make her keep on living._

_Where was she? As she ran down the endless path, she realized she was holding something in her hands. It was her katana. But her weapon was covered in blood and when she looked down on her body, her clothes were painted with blood as well. But she didn't flinch from her appearance. No; she was already accustomed to seeing herself stained in crimson._

_Suddenly, she was in Okinawa, running down the streets. But this Okinawa was different. It was already night that time and the full moon bathe the whole area in dim, gentle light. Everything looked cruel. There was fire burning everywhere. The power was shut off, thus leaving all the buildings and houses in the mercy of darkness. There were things scattered on the road, including fallen electric posts; some vehicles were overturned or otherwise destroyed. It was absolute wreckage. There were several horrified screams echoing in the cool, night air. _

_Saya stopped running and looked around. There were dead bodies of people lying everywhere like trash. Blood pooled in each corpse. Something caught her eye. From the looming shadows, a large chiropteran appeared. In its massive, claw-like hands was a dead body of a girl, seeming no more from a rag doll. The chiropteran eyed her warily with its glowing-red eyes. More chiroptera appeared all around her. But they did not even intend or try to harm her. She was a monster like them, after all. She was a chiropteran like them so why would they attack their own kind? Why would they attack their Queen?_

_As Saya looked around, she heard a loud gunshot. A hole appeared just above her chest. Blood flowed quickly from it. She almost stumbled when she was shot from behind. But she felt no pain and her wound healed easily. She spun her head around only to see Kai pointing a handgun at her._

"_Kai…" she approached him._

"_Stay back!" Kai yelled at her._

"_I've been looking for you, Kai," Saya said. She took a step towards him._

"_Stay back, I say!" Kai cried out. His voice was tensed, furious and frightened._

_Saya was confused. "What are you doing?" she demanded._

"_Shut up!" Kai snapped. His eyes narrowed fiercely at her. "You…you killed everyone. You turned everybody into chiroptera. You destroyed the Red Shield and killed Joel, David, Julia, Lewis, Okamura and everyone else who belonged there! You killed Riku, you killed your friends, you killed Mao and Kaori…"_

"_What are you saying?"_

_Kai ignored her question. "And now…you killed me…" His voice was a strange, low whisper. He lowered his handgun and looked directly into Saya's face. His frown was replaced by a sinister smile. "You killed me, Saya!" he cried out, as if he were saying a joke. "You killed me!" He started laughing maniacally._

_Saya could only stare at Kai as he laughed to the sky. "It's fun isn't it, Saya? It's fun to betray your family and friends…?"_

"_No it's not!" Saya cried._

"_Yes it is!" Kai looked at her. His smile widened. His features started to change and he transformed into a grotesque chiropteran. Even in his chiropteran form, Saya could still see an unnatural grin on his face, now a complete face of a monster._

_She fell to her knees. This wasn't true. This had to be a nightmare! It just had to be! She looked up at the red moon and cried out like an animal. All the other chiroptera joined her and howled to the sky._

_At that moment, the chiropteran who was once her caring brother lunged at her. She had no time to defend herself. The large, cruel claws tore her apart._

…

Saya jerked awake. She was panting heavily when she woke up. She quickly sat up and looked around. She was in a different bedroom. It was a place she did not recognize. It did not occur to her that she was already in a house somewhere in London. Something wet was blurring her vision. She wiped it with a hand. _Tears…? _She looked down at the small drops on her finger. _Why…am I crying?_

She tried to remember what had happened previously. Then she recalled what was happening inside the limousine. _The sound of the engine had a rhythm that was lulling her to sleep. She was in someone's arms and she could feel the gentle rub on her back. It comforted her and it made her feel warm. She could also hear voices…one was Amshel's, another was Nathan's…and the last one was the soft whisper of Diva's voice… She was still in tears then, drowning herself in her own misery…_

Saya blinked. Then she suddenly recalled her nightmare. She remembered the dead bodies…bathing in their own blood…the chiroptera…and Kai.

Kai.

She remembered Kai pointing his gun at her. But she couldn't remember the words he told her. And then he laughed like some insane person and turned into a chiropteran…

"_Sayyaaa!" the familiar voice called her name. "SAYYAAA!"_

"_Kai?" she said. She narrowed her eyes in the darkness and could make out shadows, figures, no, people running straight toward them. _

"_Saya!" the voice called again, the person approaching her._

"_Kai!" Saya said his name. Sudden joy filled her body and she was about to run toward them in her excitement. But a strong arm pulled her back. _

Yes, she remembered it clearly. Amshel held her back. He shoved her into the limousine instead. And there, Diva told her something. _"Nothing will ever come between us, Onee-chan," Diva said darkly. "Not even those humans could get in the way…"_

Before she was even aware of it, she was crying. Diva and the rest had prevented her from seeing Kai and the others. They came all the way to get her back… _And I couldn't even say anything to them_, she thought, feeling remembered how desperately they tried to catch up with the limousine, only to be stopped by Solomon. She was so helpless then.

They were her friends, no, family. They were her family, the people who supported her. _Even up to now…they're still trying to get me back. And I…_ Saya bit her lip. _I couldn't even do anything…!_

She quickly got out of bed, hardly even noticing Diva, who was sleeping beside her. She went up to the door and was about to go out when someone came in.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked as he entered the room. "It's still too early for you to be up and about."

"N-Nathan…" Saya backed away from him.

Nathan stared at her. "What's the matter?" he asked. He took a step toward her.

Saya took a step back. She could not understand why she suddenly stepped away from the blond Chevalier. She felt so…frightened. She was frightened, that was why she stepped backwards, away from him. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Is there something wrong?" There was something different in Nathan's voice. It was somewhat…cold. And Saya sensed it.

Saya said nothing. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared intently at the Chevalier. Nathan was also one of those people…who tore her away from Kai. He also wanted to distance her from Kai and the rest. She took another step back and was startled when she felt arms slide around her shoulders. She tried to pull away, but the arms pulled her back forcefully, bringing her close to Diva, whom she did not realize had already awoken.

"Saya-oneechan," Diva said into her ear. "Where do you think you're going, leaving me behind?"

Saya shivered. Diva was also one of them, in fact, the very person who wanted to keep her away from Kai. "Stay away…!" she said, pulling away from the younger twin. "Stay away from me!"

But the blue-eyed twin held her firmly, even to the point of hurting Saya as she held her closer. "You'll never be with them, Onee-chan…" she whispered. "Because you're mine…mine alone."

"No!" Saya was struggling then. "I won't be with you…! I won't!"

Saya's cries were heard from outside and at once, Solomon and Amshel entered the room.

"What is happening?" Amshel asked grimly.

"We heard cries while we were outside," Solomon said, worry painted on his face.

"See for yourself," Nathan said. Solomon and Amshel followed his gaze and saw that Saya was trying to break free from Diva's clutch.

"I don't want to be with you!" Saya said, tears continually streaming down her face. "You… All of you are trying to keep 'them' away!" Her voice was thick with emotion, frantic and accusing.

"Saya-oneechan shall always be mine," Diva said softly. There was a chill in her voice. "And whatever happens, I shall keep her with me." Diva held Saya closer to her, tightening her hold. "…And I shall keep her away from all those humans who cause her pain and grief."

Saya was stunned by her words. _Diva… _She felt a hint of emotion in the younger twin's voice as she spoke. She clenched her fists. It was painful… It was all too painful. She left her loved ones behind for the sake of another person she cared about. And now that person she cared for dearly was keeping her away from them as much as possible…

"…_And I shall keep her away from all those humans who cause her pain and grief."_

It confused her. It was all too unbearable and confusing.

Saya bit her lip. She suddenly pulled away and turned to hug the younger twin. Diva made no reaction nor showed much surprise.

Saya cried into her sister's arms. _I'm so weak! _She screamed in her head. _I couldn't protect Kai and the others… And now I can't even get things right with Diva… I can't bring them together… I can't do anything right!_

Saya hardly noticed that her grip on Diva's back was tightening. Though it was already hurting her, Diva made no move to stop her or say anything about it. She rubbed Saya's back gently. "Saya-oneechan doesn't have to always be in pain with those stupid humans," she whispered soothingly into Saya's ear. "She will stay with me so that I can protect her."

"Mm," Saya said in a frail voice, nodding her head slightly as she continually sobbed in Diva's chest. "I'm…" she tried to speak properly. "I'm sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Onee-chan," Diva said mildly.

"Oh dear," Nathan said. He was smiling, warmed by the scene between the two sisters.

Amshel watched the two, his face expressionless. Solomon had a gentle smile on his face.

"It's best that we leave," Nathan said. The two other Chevaliers went out at once and Nathan followed.

-ns-

Saya was sniffling. She soon stopped crying. "I'm…" She sniffed again. "I'm okay now…" She broke free from their embrace.

"How are you feeling, Onee-chan?"

Saya tried to take deep breaths. Her face was all red, damp with tears. "I feel bet—_hic!_" she was surprised.

Diva giggled. It was much too funny.

Saya clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were confused. She looked ridiculously pitiful in Diva's eyes.

"I feel better," Saya finished.

"Are you sure?" Diva asked.

"Yes, I'm—_hic!_" Saya covered her mouth again.

It was clear to Diva that Saya was having hiccups. "What was that?" she asked.

"I—_hic!_" Saya blinked. "I don't—_hic!_"

Diva was unable to suppress her laughter. Saya frowned at her, still hiccupping.

"That wasn't—_hic!—_that wasn't funny," Saya said.

"Aww, it's okay, Onee-chan," Diva said, still giggling. She pulled Saya to her again and rubbed her back. "Maybe this will help," she said.

Saya leaned her head on Diva's chest. "That—_hic!—_that won't help," she mumbled.

"Of course it will," Diva said. "Just don't say anything for a while." Saya nodded and kept silent. Diva placed her other hand gently on Saya's head. It was quiet for a few moments in the room.

_Hic!_

Diva couldn't help but laugh again. Saya still remained silent.

"Are you okay, Onee-chan?" Diva asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Saya said. She was bothered by her thoughts again. Thoughts of Kai, Haji and the others, trying to get her back. Tears welled up in her eyes. _Hic._

"Are you really okay?" Diva was about to break free from the embrace to look into Saya's face and see if what she was saying was true.

"Don't," Saya said softly, tightening her embrace on the younger twin. _Hic. _

Diva was slightly taken by surprise.

"Could we…" Saya paused. _Hic. _"Could I just hug you a little longer? I'll feel a whole lot better after that…"

"It's alright," Diva said. Saya buried her face into Diva's shoulder.

_Hic._

-ns-

Kai was staring at the floor. He was in a small room in the large ship—the Red Shield Headquarters, to be exact._ Kai saw them, one by one, entering the limousine. He was able to identify Diva among them and she already headed inside, with the same blond man in the purple, chest-revealing suit pushing her gently. Last but not the least; he was able to catch sight of 'her'. He was able to see his sister, his family of who he had been looking for desperately. "Sayyaaa!" he cried, calling the person's attention. At a distance he saw her turn her face toward them and called her name once more, "SAYYAAA!"_

"Damn," Kai swore harshly, clenching his fist.

_He was looking out through the window, watching the scenes and places flying past, almost blurring due to the speed of the van. Beside him, Lewis was silent as he drove, focused only on the path they were taking. Haji was at the back and with him were the two dead bodies of the men. Everything was deathly quiet. In the air, defeat and pain were lingering. _

_At the far east, from the wide mountains at the scene, he could see a red glow. Light was slowly climbing up the sky. _

_They were heading back, defeated, with two dead men. Their mission was a failure. He had lost in the fight, and more importantly, his one and only existing family… And yet still, the sun was rising…and it hurt just watching it._

"Saya…" Kai said under his breath. Saying her name had already filled his voice with emotion. He was so close to getting her back. He was so close… She was just a short distance away from him. But he was not able to take her back. He was only capable of calling her name. He called her name, just like the time when he was calling Riku's name when he dying in his arms. Unlike that time, he was stronger then. He knew how to handle his gun. He knew how to handle the Chiropterans that were plaguing the streets of Paris. So why was he unable to save her this time?

_It's just the same as before, _he thought bitterly. _I'm just the same… I'm stronger now and yet I couldn't bring Saya back! What use were all those training for? _

Just when he was about to yell in his frustration, a knock on the door stopped him. He muttered a curse. "Who's there?"

"It's Mao."

"Go away."

"The director guy—Joel, I think—he wants to see you."

Kai had no other choice but to go. "I'm following."

"Okay."

Kai heard Mao walk away. He decided to change into new clothes. When he was done, he went out of his room.

-ns-

Kai still had a difficult time trying to find his way through the ship. After all, it _was _the Headquarters. _Crap_, he thought, irritated. _I should've at least asked her where exactly I should head to… _Just as his mind was spinning with confusion, an agent who had happened to be walking through that particular corridor appeared.

"Do you know where Joel is staying?" Kai asked as he walked up to the tall, serious man.

The man scowled at him. "Refer to him as the Director," he said.

"Fine, fine. Do you know where the 'Director' is staying right now?"

"What business do you have with him?"

The question irritated Kai. He only wanted a simple, direct answer. He was supposed to be the one asking the questions, not _answering _them. "He wanted to see me for a reason I don't even know of."

"Are you…Kai Miyagusuku?" The agent asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Forgive me for my insolence." The agent quickly recovered from his momentary surprise and his face turned serious again.

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"It seems that you are lost," the agent observed, his tone a bit more respectful.

_Is there something in my name that's terrifying? _Kai wondered. "Kind of…" he admitted.

"Then please come with me and I shall lead you there." The agent turned to leave.

"Oh…okay." Kai followed behind him.

-ns-

Kai was lead into a dining room. Inside, there was along, dining table, capable of holding around twenty people. Before the agent left, Kai thanked him and went through the entrance. Everyone looked at him.

"Come," a young man in around his early 30s said warmly. "I'm sure you were tired from the mission and up to now haven't had a proper meal." He was sitting at the far end of the table. At his right sat David, who was wearing a dress shirt, with the top part carelessly left unbuttoned, revealing bandages underneath. Julia was sitting next to David and after her sat Mao. At the young man's left sat Lewis. Beside Lewis, Okamura was seated.

"Uh, sure." Kai sat next to Okamura.

"You were the only one who was not here," the young man said.

"Well, Director, we were trying to get him out of the room," Lewis told him.

_Director? _Kai looked at the young man again. _So is this the Joel Goldschmidt VI David was talking about?_

The young man noticed the curious expression on Kai's face and understood what the ginger-haired teenager was thinking. "Forgive me for not even introducing myself properly. I am Joel Goldschmidt, the Director of the Red Shield."

"I'm Kai Miyagusuku," Kai replied respectfully.

Joel already knew of the lad's name but he nodded his head. "I see."

Kai looked down in the plate set before him. On it was a foreign-looking meal he could not identify. He identified it as scrambled egg combined with…tomatoes, onions, garlic and…a strange looking vegetable which was sliced into several pieces.

"It's a bitter gourd," Okamura told him.

_Oh… _Kai took a fork and ate some of the dish. It tasted good…and a bit bitter.

"So I heard how you were able to fend off the Chevalier without you yourself getting hurt," Joel began.

"Uh, yeah," Kai could only answer.

David gave him a piercing glare. Kai stared at him, not understanding what mistake he had committed.

"Respect, kid," Okamura told him softly.

Kai frowned at David. _I didn't even do anything disrespectful…_

"You don't have to be so formal," Joel said after noticing what was going on between David and Kai. "We are only having our breakfast. Consider me just as a normal friend."

Kai nodded. "Okay."

"The ammunition that I have sent you—the red bullets, I mean—they have proved worthy?" Joel asked.

"It's because of those bullets that I was still able to survive," Kai replied with a smile.

"I'm glad they were entrusted into your hands," Joel said. "I should also thank David."

"It was nothing worth considering, Director," David said beside him.

"Nonsense," Joel smiled.

"Uh, excuse me," Kai tried to call the Director's attention. "What about those other men who came with us?"

Joel's face turned solemn. "Ah, yes. Those other men… They're still recovering in their own quarters." He looked down on his half-eaten food.

"I see…" Kai stared at his plate. He wished that he did not have to bring up the topic.

"We have indeed lost two brave men. They were one of Red Shield's most daring," Joel said. "It is a loss for me. Their families were shocked by the news, you see…"

Kai bit his lip. Everyone was respectfully silent for a while.

"As much as I hate to admit it, we still have other things we must put a stop to," Joel said. "We cannot afford to dwell in such sadness." He looked at Kai. "I'm sure the failure must have also been pressing down on you, though."

"Y-yeah…" Kai answered softly. Again, he could not help but feel the sudden rush of emotion into him.

-ns-

Kai lay on his mattress, staring at the dark ceiling. A few hours earlier, right after they had had breakfast, Joel had issued a meeting. And he was part of the meeting.

…

"_We shall be headed off to London," Joel said. "That is where Diva and Saya were headed off to, correct?"_

"_Yes, Director," David answered dutifully. "They had left the day before the known date of their departure."_

"_And that was the very time you had begun the operation?"_

"_Yes."_

"_And what events are to proceed once they had arrived in London?"_

"_We had learned that Diva shall be having her concert in five consecutive days a week after," Lewis replied._

"_And exactly what is their purpose for conducting such an event?"_

"_Their motives are still unknown, as of the moment," David replied._

"_I see," Joel rubbed his chin. "Are there other matters which may be connected to the concert?"_

Kai closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He didn't want to recall the rest of the meeting. He wasn't paying much attention either so he couldn't recall the rest even if he tried to remember.

_Saya… _

He tried to sleep, but he couldn't help but replay the moment when he saw 'her' forcefully brought into the limousine. She was resisting the man, wasn't she? It meant that she _did _want to come back…

Didn't it?

"Damn…" he muttered. He was then about to doze off when the sound of loud music reverberated through the walls of his room. He sat up, recognizing that it was the sound of a cello being played. And he easily recognized the person who was playing it.

-ns-

"What are we going to do now?" Lulu asked as they stood at the heliport at the highest point of the ship.

"I don't know, Lulu…" Moses said, staring into the horizon.

"We lost Darth in the battle," Gudrif said softly.

"All we can do now is join forces with Kai and Haji, right?" Lulu asked, tugging on Moses' sleeve.

Moses looked down at the wide-eyed little girl. His face gave a sad smile. "It looks like it."

"Is this all we're capable of?" Karman asked looking at the sea. The sun was lowering.

A strong breeze swept by.

"I don't know…" Moses replied.

Irene stared into the sparkling orange sea. "I want to believe in 'hope'…like all those humans say in their books…"

The rest of Schiff turned to her solemnly.

"Yeah…" Karman agreed, as they watched the setting sun.

The sound of music filled the air.

-ns-

Kai walked out of his room. Closing the door behind him, he looked around. He was in the brightly lit corridor again. He didn't know where to go through. He could still hear the low, haunting music resounding, even in the long hallway. He tried walking down to his right, trying to follow the sound of the music.

During that time, Lewis was busy cooking in the kitchen.

Okamura was quietly reading a newspaper in his room.

Mao was staring out the window, thoughts bothering her. She was in another room as well.

Joel was seated in his office, reading from the diary that was passed down from the previous generations.

Julia was busy researching in her laptop. She was sitting beside David, who was then asleep on his bed. Julia watched his steady breathing worriedly.

All were listening to the music that the Chevalier was playing.

-ns-

Haji was playing on his cello, issuing forth music from the aged strings. It was music Saya thought him when he was yet a boy. It was music he had dedicated to her. It was what he played to her when she was feeling lonely. It was what he had been playing for the past decades.

It was the music from the past.

He enjoyed playing with the cello whenever the situation allowed it. And ever the more when Saya was around. But since his mistress was somewhere beyond the sea that they were then traveling on, in the city of London, the place where they were headed to, playing seemed a bit…lonely.

However, he did it as a means of passing the time while there was nothing else to do. And he had to admit, though Saya was not there to hear him, he still found his own music…amusing. His expression revealed nothing of such, however.

"Hey," a familiar voice called. He looked up from the strings that he was playing on and saw Kai. He said nothing in response.

"I heard you playing," Kai said. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to come up here." They were at the front of the ship. There, they could see the sun setting.

Kai leaned on the railing and watched the sunset. "You think Saya could still come back?"

"If that was her wish…" Haji replied.

"What are you saying?" Kai turned to the stoic Chevalier. "You want her to come back, right?"

Haji merely stared at him in silence.

"Forget it." Kai faced the horizon where the sun was setting slowly. He bit his lip.

…

"_The setting sun is kind of sad, isn't it?" Riku said as they stood by the sea of Okinawa. The sound of seagulls filled the air._

"_You think so?" George said. He turned to Saya. "You think so too, Saya?"_

"_I'm scared," Saya answered slowly. "It'll be dark again."_

"_Listen," George faced the orange sky. "The thing about the sun is, even if it goes down once it'll rise again the next day, smiling in the eastern sky." He faced them with a warm smile. "Then everything will be brighter, right?" He placed his hands on both Riku and Saya. "Guys, even if something bad happens…"_

_Kai stopped leaning on the concrete and watched them._

"…_face tomorrow with a smile, like the sun." George held Riku and Saya to him and smiled._

…

Kai watched the sun as it was setting slowly. Under the last few rays of the dying light, the sea was a sparkling scene of gold. It reminded him of Dad, Riku and Saya…when they were still a family. When their dad was still alive. When Riku was still there as his little brother. When Saya was with them.

He couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks. He tried to hide his face from Haji, hoping that the Chevalier would not see him in such a weak state.

But the Chevalier already sensed it without looking at him. "The sun will always be there…" he said softly.

"Yeah, I know…" Kai said in his frail voice, which was thick with emotion. He wiped the tears with the back of his hand. The light of the sun bathed everything in gold, warming his watched it, marveling at the scene in awe_._ But it was unable to warm the cold feeling that he was having.

_Watching the sunset is not the same without all of you… _he thought miserably_. The sun will never look beautiful…_

-ns-

Saya was in the wide balcony of the mansion she, Diva and the rest were staying in. At the front of the mansion was a flower garden with neatly-trimmed hedges. There was a fountain in the middle of the garden, with water cascading from the top. High walls surrounded the premises of the mansion. They were not too close to the center of the city and there were a handful of trees present. And to her surprise, it wasn't noisy at all. There was no sound of honking vehicles, busy people or the like to disturb them.

She was watching the sun set at the far west. The light was starting to fade into the coming darkness.

_Kai… _she thought, staring wistfully at the orange sky. _Kai… I… I'm sorry… I couldn't come back…_

Diva was asleep that time and Amshel was out as usual.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked behind her. Saya spun around. The dark-skinned Chevalier was standing before her.

What was his name again? "James…" Saya was able to recall the Chevalier's name. James was giving her a cold stare. Saya averted her gaze. "I was just watching the sky, that's all…"

"Get back inside," James said roughly. It may have been absurd and unusual for a Chevalier to command a Queen, but Saya hardly considered the matter. She was used to being ordered by Diva. James' command was of no difference.

"Can't I stay here a little longer?" Saya asked.

"Why?"

The question surprised her. "N-nothing." She glanced back at the sunset. "The sunset is beautiful to look at…" She looked back at the Chevalier. "…and it would be a waste if no one would see how beautiful it is." She was not sure how she came up with such a reason. In truth, she was thinking about Kai, Haji, David, Julia and Lewis…and all those other people she knew were trying to get her back. She was thinking if ever…if ever it was still possible to head back to them.

James walked up to her side. Saya was not the least alarmed, even when the way the Chevalier looked at her was threatening. "Amshel is out again with Solomon. Nathan is downstairs and if I'm not mistaken, Diva is still asleep. Karl…was sent back to Vietnam just before you awoke," he said dutifully.

Saya looked at him in surprise. "I see…" she returned her gaze to the western sky where the light was starting to fade slowly. "It's beautiful just seeing the sun set…" she said. James looked at her, but said nothing. "But at the same time, it's sad…" She wished she was with Kai and the others so they could watch the sky together.

James just hummed.

-ns-

"Gosh, I wonder where James is," Nathan said, looking around. "I'm sure he hasn't left yet." He had been looking throughout the mansion. The last place which he had not gone to yet was the balcony.

He soon caught sight of him, and was about to go outside. But through the glass door, he could see someone else with him.

_Saya? _He thought in surprise. Instead of going out, he decided not to interfere. A small smile danced on his lips. "Never mind… What I want to let him do is far too trivial anyway…"

-ns-

"Say, James," Saya began. The sky was darkening and a small star had appeared. "Why is watching the sunset so sad?"

"I answer to no one but Diva," James replied, rather curtly.

"Please, James?" Saya faced the Chevalier.

"No." James looked away for a moment then glanced back at her. Saya was looking at him pleadingly. The sight of her—eyes wide and filed with childish curiosity and innocence, with the head tilted in a questioning look—was so familiar to him. The image of Diva flashed in his mind. He saw…that Saya _did _resemble Diva so closely that for a moment, he thought that it was Diva who was standing before him, asking the question.

Somehow, the sight of Saya in such a childish state moved a part of him.

The glare in James' eyes softened. He sighed. "Perhaps because you fear that there will no longer be a tomorrow, you wish the sun to shine all day long. That's why it saddens you to see it set…because you don't want its light to fade away…"

"You…think so?"

"The sun will always be there…" James looked at the last remaining light to the west.

"Yeah…" Saya watched the last remnants of the light.

A gentle wind blew by.

* * *

_So it's kind of obvious that everyone's a bit…solemn, if the term be fitting. What can you expect? It's a drama/family fanfic, right? It's clearly stated above. I don't know… I just felt like making the chapter come out this way. There has to be a part when everyone's sad, right? Call it cliché. See if I care._

_Well, I didn't want to be rude, or anything. So I want to know if this chapter turned out A-okay. _

_Your comments, feedback, or reviews—whatever you call them—will freely be accepted without contempt or such. I swear. Even you say it's too overly dramatic._


	19. Chapter 16: Rehearsal

_Hurrah... The angsting part from the previous chapter has finally stopped (or has it?) and things are quite lighter in this chapter. It's the back-to-normal life._

_It took me a whole week to make this chapter. I had already started making this one even before I updated chapter 15, but I had other things to think about...like how annoying school is...and how frustrating it is to fail in a test..._

_Forget what I said. Please carry on and read!_

_

* * *

_

Chapter XVI

Rehearsal

Saya was looking out the window wistfully, thoughts occupying her mind. Diva had been observing the red-eyed Queen for a short while and saw the unusual earnestness in her eyes.

"When do I get to sing in front of the humans?" Diva asked, turning her attention to Nathan.

"A week after," Nathan answered, reading yet another book.

Diva pouted and folded her arms. She looked at Saya again. "Onee-chan," she called.

"Hmm?" Saya had been staring at something but was quick to respond when Diva tried to get her attention. She focused her gaze on the blue-eyed twin. "What is it?"

"I'm bored."

"I don't really know what we should do right now, you see," Saya replied, smiling apologetically.

"Why?" Diva raised an eyebrow. "Because you have your own world where only _you _could have fun in?"

Saya did not understand what Diva referring to. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Diva replied curtly, frowning. "Forget it."

Saya was surprised, but otherwise said nothing else. Diva may have been upset, but it was just a trivial matter. She disregarded the younger twin's tantrums and went back to daydreaming, looking out the window.

"I know," Nathan said suddenly, closing his book. "Why don't we have you rehearse for your performance next week?"

"I don't want to sing in this place," Diva replied dryly.

"Of course you don't," Nathan said mildly. "How about I bring the both of you to Covent Garden?"  
"Really?" Diva brightened. Saya was not paying much attention and hardly even understood what was going on. Diva tugged impatiently on her twin's sleeve. "You heard that, Onee-chan?"

"Heard what?"

Diva pouted and pulled Saya by the ear.

"Ow!" Saya cried in pain. "Okay! Okay! I heard it!"

Diva did not let go of her hold on Saya's earlobe. Instead, she pinched it harder between her forefinger and thumb. Saya winced and was forced to lower herself, to where Diva's hand was. "What did Nathan just say?" Diva asked.

"He said that—_ow!—_we're going somewhere." She tried to pull away but ended up hurting herself.

"And…?" Diva lowered her hand and Saya was forced to follow. "Where exactly are we supposed to go?"

"I don't know, alright?" Saya admitted. "Please let go."

"Answer my question."

"I said I don't know!"

Nathan sighed, amused as he watched the two.

"Tell me where we're going."

Saya thought hard. "Covent Garden…?" she guessed.

"Good enough." Diva finally released her hold on Saya's ear. Saya quickly sat up. She was almost close to lying on Diva's lap because of how low Diva was pulling her ear down. She rubbed it, trying to ease the pain.

"You didn't have to do that," she told the younger twin.

Diva smiled at her sweetly. "Of course I had to," she replied cheerily. "Or else you wouldn't be paying attention to anyone at all."

"I was just thinking about something," Saya said.

"Of what, exactly?" Diva asked.

"…nothing." Saya averted her gaze.

Diva frowned again. "It better not be what I think it is," she said.

"Of course not." Saya stood up quickly, pulling Diva to her feet. "Let's go then."

Her hastiness was indeed a suspicious thing for the younger twin.

"What?" Saya asked.

Diva tore her gaze away from Saya's. "Let's go, Nathan."

"Of course." Nathan stood up as well. "Would you like James to come along as well?"

"I don't care who comes along." Diva pulled Saya roughly to her side. "Onee-chan is with me and that's all that matters."

It was awkward the way Diva treated her. Saya was sure that her twin was irritated…in a way she could not quite comprehend. Finding it best to leave the matter be, she followed alongside Diva as they went down the staircase.

-ns-

"Covent Garden?" James repeated, obviously finding the matter preposterous.

"Yes. Covent Garden, James," Nathan repeated, rather impatiently. "You know that nice little place where we have plays, and watch the opera and—"

"I know what you're talking about," James growled.

"It's good you do," Nathan said.

James thought for a few moments.

"Well?"

"Did not Amshel tell all of us that we stay here for the meantime?"

"No."

"Then you weren't listening."

"Perhaps I wasn't." Nathan paused. "I mean, _we _weren't." He glanced back to where the two sisters were sitting.

James grunted.

"I hear there's quite a fuss going on from here," a calm voice intervened smoothly.

Both Chevaliers turned to see Solomon, who was standing from the hallway.

"Well it's about time you showed up," Nathan said, tapping his foot impatiently.

Solomon gave a relaxed shrug. "Well, here I am." He paused and felt an air of conflict between Nathan and James. "What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing, really," Nathan began sarcastically. "It's just that a little _someone _hereis getting in the way with Diva's plans for the day."

"'Getting in the way'?" James repeated in indignation. "I'll have you know that _this _was what Amshel had told us to do."

"What is Diva's plan anyway?" Solomon asked.

"She would be rehearsing in Covent Garden while we still have time before her real performance," Nathan answered. Behind him, on the sofa, the two siblings were spending their own time in leisure, hardly noticing the fight that was slowly arising from the Chevaliers.

"Amshel told us to stay _here_," James said firmly.

-ns-

"How long do you think they would have to make us wait before we could leave?" Diva asked.

"Well, it seems like there's a bit of a conflict behind us," Saya stated, glancing back at the Chevaliers who were indeed talking over whether Diva's plan was to ensue. "Shouldn't we clear things a bit for them?"

"No." Diva folded her arms. "Let them fight. They'll sort things out sooner or later."

"I don't see how not stopping the fight would hasten things in here," Saya pointed out.

"Just don't mind them."

"Fine." Saya felt a familiar weight resting on her shoulder. She looked down at the younger twin who was then leaning comfortably on her side. "Diva?"

"This would take a while," Diva said, stifling a yawn. "Wake me up when they've finally decided to bring us to Covent Garden, okay?"  
The elder twin couldn't help but smile. "Alright." Diva yawned again and closed her eyes.

It was only a few minutes before Saya realized the younger twin was already fast asleep. With nothing else to do—and with the Chevaliers still deciding things behind her—she decided to look around in the room. They were actually in a wide room and the windows at the front were quite similar to the windows back in the house in Bordeaux. The windows were large and had elegant railings around them, indeed making it appear more beautiful from the outside. Large, heavy draperies adorned the sides of the window. On the floor spread a crimson-red carpet, also having decorative, elegant designs. Pinned on the walls were some pictures of places where she had never been through before. In front of her, a short distance away was the hearth where a few charred pieces of wood still remained. Other furniture filled the empty corners of the room, and though there quite a few of them, the room looked neat and beautiful.

But what caught Saya's eye were the two sabers which were hung just above the fireplace. They were intercrossed elegantly, and by the looks of it, Saya realized that it was not just any sword that could be used in fencing; it was a real sword which could be used in battling. The longer she stared at the two slender weapons, the stronger the urge she felt became. She just wanted to take one of those weapons in her hands…and perhaps use it to slash at something…or someone.

Before she could think of how she could get her hold on the sabers, the younger twin awoke suddenly.

"Diva…" Saya was surprised when Diva sat up straight, yawning. The younger twin had distracted her from the thoughts that were about to form in her mind. "It was just a few minutes," she said.

"I could tell that they're almost done," Diva said, rubbing her eye. "Wait for a few minutes and we're leaving."

-ns-

"What do _you _think Solomon?" Nathan asked. Both Chevaliers turned to him.

"Well…" Solomon began mildly. "I don't find it wrong for Diva to go out if she were to practice for her concert. I should think that nii-san wouldn't let us out only when we do so for unreasonable causes."

"See?" Nathan faced James, who said nothing, but merely scowled in disapproval. Solomon was the next elder brother to Amshel. Whatever he said was always in line with Amshel's wishes.

"Fine," James managed to answer. "Go to your useless rehearsal."

"I would like to come along, too," Solomon said.

"That would be splendid!" Nathan beamed. "But who'll drive us there?"

Solomon shrugged. "I had enough with the driving in France." He and Nathan turned to James, the same idea forming in their minds.

"What?" James asked, staring back at them disdainfully. He sensed what the two had in plan for him.

"We have no driver, you know," Nathan began. Solomon smiled in agreement.

"No," James said firmly. "I am _not _going to do anything for any of you. I'll be staying _here_."

"Not even for Diva?" Nathan asked.

James' eyes flashed. It only took a few moments before the Chevalier finally answered, "I'll do it."

-ns-

"James, you _do _know where Covent Garden is, right?" Nathan asked as he sat beside James at the front.

"What do you take me for?" James growled. "Of course I do."

"Good." Nathan smiled. "Now start the engine so we could leave."

"Shut up and let me do what I'm supposed to do," James snapped.

"Oh my." Nathan said, slightly taken aback. "You are a very strict driver aren't you? Doing everything so slowly and formally, it looks so ridiculous."

"I do things safely," James returned. "Consider it slow for some _person _like you."

-ns-

Solomon watched in amusement as Diva hugged Saya around the arm, leaning on her shoulder. "Onee-chan, you'll be able to see me on stage for the first time!"

"Yeah," Saya agreed. "But it's too bad it's just a rehearsal."

"I'll be performing in front of those humans in a few days, so don't worry."

"I won't." Saya glanced back at Solomon. "She won't stop doing this," she told him with a silly, apologetic smile.

"I could see that," Solomon replied cheerfully, smiling as well.

They felt the limousine start its engine and drive off slowly through the path. The hedges were bright, green walls that seemed to brighten the surroundings ever the more, especially with little flowers blooming on them.

-ns-

"So do you have any other plans for today?" Solomon asked.

"I don't really know," Saya answered.

"I don't know either," Diva said before Saya could ask for her answer.

"How long would you be rehearsing for today?" Solomon asked.

"As long as I want," Diva replied.

"Do your rehearsals take a long time?" Saya inquired.

"Why do you ask?" Diva turned to her.

"Nothing," Saya replied quickly.

"You're not saying that you don't want to hear me sing, is that it?"

"Of course not!" Saya answered, taken by surprise.

"It's so easy to tell if you're lying or not, onee-chan," Diva stated.

"It is?"

"I don't have to repeat myself."  
"Sorry."

"Anyway," Diva turned her attention to the bond-haired Chevalier who had been watching them all the while in silence. "Solomon, where is Amshel?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he went to conduct some meeting with a particular person."

"Who exactly?"

"He won't tell me." Solomon smiled apologetically. "Forgive me."

-ns-

When they had arrived in front of the Royal Opera House, Nathan and Diva went off ahead. James had parked the limousine at a convenient spot. Saya, meanwhile, was staring up at the building. Solomon was left with her and was watching her in silence. Finding that it was best that they enter, for Diva may suspect that something was wrong, he said, "There's not much to see from here. It looks more beautiful inside."

Saya looked at him and simpered. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Shall we?" Solomon walked to her side and proffered his arm formally to her.

Saya merely nodded and responded formally as well by locking her arm with his. They were in no special place where such practices were to be observed. But perhaps there was just something different in the wind that day…or it could have been that faint sparkle in Solomon's eyes that made Saya respond in such a way.

"Why are we doing this?" Saya asked as they headed for the opera house. Seeing how formal it was, it did make her smile because she found it funny.

"It is only right for my Queen to be treated with high regard," Solomon replied, though he was smiling as well.

"Even if we're in the streets of London?" Saya asked as she looked up the blond man.

"Even if we're in the streets of London," Solomon answered with complete certainty as he gazed down at her.

They both went through the entrance of the building.

-ns-

Inside it was spacious. Hundreds of rows of seats were present, filling the space. There were yet still three or four floors above them, each carrying hundreds of seats as well. At the front stood a large, grand stage, with a crimson curtain with a few fancy designs at its edges. It was hiding the rest of what stood backstage. The only light that were present were the ones in the stage, casting the rest of the unreachable corners of the building into dimness, if not darkness. Somehow the brightness from the stage only, sent a cool, mysterious feeling. Silence was yet another thing for there were no other souls present.

"Where's onee-chan?" Diva asked impatiently. "I won't sing unless she's here to hear my song." She was standing in front of the first row of seats.

"I'm sure she was just behind us," Nathan assured, sitting back comfortably into his seat from the fifth row.

"I'm here, Diva," a voice said mildly.

Diva turned to see the elder twin walking down the small, carpeted path that made its way in the middle, dividing the hundreds of seats into two sections. Solomon was trailing respectfully behind her.

"Onee-chan," Diva said firmly.

"I didn't mean to be left behind," Saya said.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," Diva replied. "Now that you're here, you can listen to me."  
"The stage is all yours," Nathan told her. "Do what you want."

Diva gave a small smile. A few moments passed and soon, she was seen standing in the center of the stage.

Saya sat next to Nathan. Solomon sat at the edge, a row behind her. Everyone awaited for a few moments before the young girl in front closed her eyes and parted her lips. From them issued the same beautiful voice that formed into words Saya still could not quite understand. Despite that, she still somehow felt as if the song had a message for her, wrapping her once more in its own world of mystery. The moment Diva had begun her song, everyone seemed to be held in place, mesmerized. Nathan closed his eyes and began gentle strokes in the air with one hand as he tried to keep in with a beating. Saya watched the younger twin as she sang, admiring her performance. With the light only on her, with the mysterious voice that sang the song from the past, it seemed to Saya that Diva was more or less like an angel.

Solomon was listening as well, captivated by the blue-eyed twin's song. He felt someone standing just beside him and looked up to see James. "What took you so long?"

James grunted. "I had to look for a suitable parking area and somewhere not too revealing to catch anyone's attention." He gazed at the young Queen who was singing on the stage.

"We are fortunate to be serving under her, aren't we, James?" Solomon asked, following James' gaze.

"Mm," was what James could reply. He seemed to have been distracted by the song as well.

The song stretched on and indeed, everyone was held by its enchantment. They were in a closed space as well, thus making Diva's voice louder, the force of her voice, stronger. It resounded forlornly throughout the room.

-ns-

"That was simply wonderful!" Nathan exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Diva beamed and looked at the elder twin. Saya smiled at her and she smiled back. "Onee-chan," she said in her melodious voice. "How was it?" In a few moments, she was standing beside Saya.

"It was beautiful, Diva," Saya said with a smile. "I'm sure everyone would love your voice."

"But what if they don't?" Diva asked.

"Well, then…they're stupid."

Solomon was surprised with the term Saya had used. It was only then that he heard Saya refer to people that way. But he said nothing to pursue the matter.

"But, there are still a handful of things you must consider practicing," Nathan told Diva.

"Aww." Diva pouted. "You don't mean that I should do all 'those' things again."

"I'm afraid you should," Nathan said with a smile. "After all, you want the humans to love and praise you the way we do, right?"

"I could have them for my meals if they don't like my voice," Diva stated flatly while folding her arms.

"Perhaps. But you'll be eating your audience," Nathan pointed out. "If you eat your audience, who else would be left to watch you and listen to your wonderful song?"

"Fine, fine."

-ns-

"So we'll be staying here for a few more hours?" James asked as he sat back in his seat. He was clearly losing his patience.

"I should think so," Solomon said with a smile.

"With her acting so whimsical, not all of our plans could go as planned."

"Don't say that," Solomon said mildly. "In the first place those plans are meant for her, aren't they? Of what difference is this if it could make her happy as well?"

"They're plain childish and immature." James gave him a gruff look. "And so are you."

"Can't a man have his fun?" Solomon asked, while giving a shrug.

"A man of your stature no longer needs those kinds of things only foolish little children wish for."

"…So are you saying that Diva is a foolish little child?" Solomon asked in amusement.

"That was not what I meant."

-ns-

"…and you should always remember to keep your posture straight to express your confidence," Nathan finished, pressing slightly on Diva's spine as he inspected her.

"Why does it have to be this strict anyway?" Diva asked, slowly losing her patience.

"Oh, and you shouldn't frown as well because it would ruin the whole show," Nathan said, ignoring her question. He was apparently too busy trying to come up with how Diva could remain in the 'perfect' posture.

Saya placed a hand on Diva's shoulder. "You're doing great, Diva. The more you get to practice what Nathan is telling you, the better you would look on stage."

"Easy for you to say…" Diva muttered.

"Okay, from the top!" Nathan announced, clapping his hands twice. "And keep in mind what we have practiced."

-ns-

The rest of the hours were then spent mostly in Diva's practice. Nathan had Diva practice the specific locations where she should go to while singing on stage. Saya was watching them all the while from the side of the stage, sometimes glancing back at the two Chevaliers who were still among the seats. She once caught Solomon looking at her with a steady gaze. The blond Chevalier gave a small wave with his hand and Saya smiled as a response, and then returned her attention to what was happening with Nathan and Diva.

"Did you have to do that?" James asked.

"There's nothing wrong with doing it, right?" Solomon returned blithely.

"Okay, that's enough," they heard Nathan say. "We should call this a day."

"Finally," Diva said with relief. She was getting tired of moving around on the stage and having to repeat it when she had accidentally headed to the wrong direction. Nathan was indeed strict when it came to such activities, though it did seem a bit odd that he was actually instructing her when he was a Chevalier and she was his Queen. Perhaps, 'fun' wasn't the right term to describe the practice as a whole—not that she was tired of doing it anyway.

"You did great," Saya said, walking up to Diva.

"Of course I did," Diva replied dryly. Her dry answer did not seem to irk Saya. Ironically, the red Queen found it otherwise and she couldn't help but smile.

"C'mon," Saya said, taking Diva by the hand and leading her down the stairs from the stage.

"It is a wonderful performance," Solomon remarked when they were approaching.

"You shouldn't call it wonderful yet," Nathan said as he walked behind the two siblings. "Wait until the real show starts and I'm sure you cannot find the words to describe it."

"Then perhaps I should keep these words of praise until then," Solomon said.

"Save it for the grand performance. This is yet the beginning," Nathan replied.

_Beginning? _Saya thought curiously, after hearing Nathan's reply.

"We should leave," James interrupted curtly.

"My, you're quite the impatient one, aren't you?" Nathan said. "I've observed you very badly wanted to leave even when you barely stayed with us for a good five minutes."

"Why wouldn't I want to leave?" James returned. "This was utter nonsense, a waste of time."

"Was there anything else that could be done in the mansion?" Nathan countered mildly.

Before James could answer back, Diva intervened smoothly by asking him, "James, didn't you want to watch me practice?"

"I would have appreciated it had we not been troubled by other matters," James replied, his tone turning respectful and mild.

"Amshel should worry about that," Diva said. "Can't you at least say that it was worth it, James? Was it really a waste of time for you?" She was then trying to act like the innocent child, wanting to know how her Chevalier would answer her.

Of course, the Chevalier easily fell for her trick. "Nothing is wasted if it was used for your happiness, Diva," he said. He knelt on one knee. "Forgive me for my insolence. In truth, I found your performance amusing, even when it was just a rehearsal."

Diva smiled slyly. "Will you watch me sing when I would perform in front of the humans?"

"The humans do not even deserve to set their eyes on you," James replied. "But, yes, I will watch you sing, even if I have to abandon my duties during the time of your performance."

Diva's eyes flashed with malice and she held out her hand to him. James caught it delicately and brought it close to his lips.

-ns-

On the way home, there were not much things that occurred. Diva did converse with Saya and Solomon while at the front, Nathan seemed to have a conversation with James, though James gave dry remarks and Nathan mostly ignored them and went on commenting on random matters.

It was getting dark then, and the lamps which were mounted on the gateposts were already on, brightening the black pathway through the front yard. Solomon came out first and held the door of the limousine, motioning the two siblings to step out of the vehicle with a graceful gesture.

Diva stepped out, followed by Saya. Nathan got out as well, while James went to park the limousine at the backyard. The small group headed for the mansion. Diva was the first to enter through the twin doors, which was the entrance to the building. Saya followed after her to the room where the fireplace was. There, Diva sat on the sofa.

"Onee-chan," she called impatiently from the seat in her childish voice.

"I'm coming," Saya replied. She came and sat alongside the younger twin.

"Onee-chan, I want a fire started right now," Diva said. "It's cold in here."

"Let me have the honor of doing that," a voice said. The twins turned and saw Solomon standing from the doorway.

-ns-

Diva was fast asleep, her head resting on Saya's lap while the rest of her body stretched to the end of the sofa. Saya brushed the locks of hair that were on her face. Then she stroked her head and turned her eyes to the fire which Solomon had made for them. The only sound in the room was the constant burning of the flames. The flames were somehow luring her into its bright recesses as she stared into it longer.

"Are you alright?" a voice suddenly asked, which startled her inwardly. Solomon was standing behind the sofa. Saya hardly noticed that he had entered the room.

"I am," Saya answered, looking up at the blond man.

"It seems that she is enjoying her sleep on your lap," Solomon observed, watching Diva with fondness.

"She was just tired, that's all," Saya said, looking down at the younger twin as she continually stroked her hair. "I'm sure she would be more comfortable if she were sleeping in a mattress."

"I should take that as a sign that you want me to bring her back into your room," Solomon said.

"Quite," Saya admitted, smiling apologetically.

Solomon smiled. "Don't worry; I'll be more than happy to do it." He went in front of Saya and knelt to carefully receive the sleeping twin in his arms. Diva leaned smugly against his chest as soon as Solomon was standing with her in his arms. He was about to leave the room but stopped when he noticed that Saya wasn't coming along.

"Aren't you going to sleep as well?" Solomon asked. "It's getting late."

"I'll follow," Saya replied. "I don't feel like sleeping yet."

"Alright." Solomon walked out of the room, leaving Saya alone.

-ns-

Saya sighed wearily and stared right back into the flames. Her eyelids were already starting to droop, and her vision was blurring. But when she raised her gaze, her eyes fell again on the two sabers which were hung neatly to the wall. Again, she couldn't help but stare at it in wonder. A few moments after, while she was still watching it intently, a thought formed in her mind. _I wonder if…if I could just hold it for a while… _She remembered her sword. She remembered the times when she was gripping the handle in her hand as she was prepared to face a chiropteran. The scenes from the past when she was still fighting made her unconsciously clench her fist. Not feeling the same handle in her hand, she looked down at her fist and opened it. She didn't know why she had the sudden desire to hold one of those weapons. She realized something. _That's right. I haven't held a sword for the past months. _The last time she did was when she fought with Solomon. She lost her own blade when she faced Liza, or Amshel, rather.

Feeling a weapon in her hands was the least thing that she thought she would be wanting then. Perhaps she had gotten a little too attached to fighting for the fact that she wanted to hold a blade even after months without one. _Maybe they wouldn't get angry if I would just hold it for a little while. _She paused. _Or they wouldn't have to know at least… _

Without further ado, she got a chair nearby and placed it a safe short distance from the hearth and stood on it, wobbling a bit when she did. Then she looked at the swords again and carefully reached for one. It took a little effort and time before she could get one of the sabers free. When she did, she carefully got down from the chair.

The blade was V-shaped, with cutting edges along its entire front and along about one-third of its back from the tip. It was rigid on its cutting edges but flexible on its flat sides. The handguard curved back to the pommel, protecting the knuckles. It was quite heavier than the katana that she was wielding before, and it did also feel strange. It felt different and new and the feeling of the handguard over her knuckles was simply a new experience to her, and an uncomfortable one at that. Nevertheless, it felt…wonderful.

She tested it with a few swings. But it wasn't enough. Soon, she was slashing at the air, as if she were facing a real opponent. She wasn't used to handling it yet, it being different and new, and thus, she accidentally slashed the sofa, creating a deep, clean tear. It surprised her, of course, and she clapped a hand over her mouth as she stared at the damage she had created. "Whoops…"

Saya returned the saber to its place with the other one and turned to the problem she had created. She thought that she could sew the tear, but she remembered she wasn't good in sewing. Besides, the tear was considerably long and even when she was good at sewing, there were no materials present. If she asked for a sewing kit from the Chevaliers, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

_Perhaps I could say 'I figured I could do a little sewing to past the time so that…' _Saya's thoughts trailed off. _Then what? '…so that I could make clothes for each of you'? _Saya smacked her forehead with her palm. _What should I do? Maybe—_

The door suddenly opened. Without thinking, Saya quickly placed a cushion to hide the tear as Nathan came in.

"Uhm, hi," Saya said awkwardly, holding her hands behind her innocently, like a child that was hiding a mess she had created. She was standing in front of the sofa.

Nathan stared at her. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh, no. I mean, nothing's wrong. Really," Saya answered, rather nervously. She smiled weakly.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. He knew something was up, but what he had to tell her was more important. "Diva woke up because you weren't with her," he said. "It's best that you go to her right now before she loses her patience."

"She's looking for me?" Surprise was what had taken over her then.

"Yes," Nathan said with a sigh. "Come along now. I fear she'd come storming in to haul you back to the bed with her."

The thought was quite disturbing and Saya decided it was best that she go to back to the room. Completely forgetting about the tear on the sofa, she left the room with Nathan.

-ns-

"Thank you for telling me, Nathan," Saya said when they were in front of the room.

"It was a pleasure, on my part," Nathan replied.

"Good night," Saya said as she unbolted the door to the bedroom.

"Sweet dreams, my Queen," Nathan said as he turned to walk away.

Saya slowly came inside and closed the door silently, hoping it wouldn't awake the younger twin. The only thing that was left on to provide light was the lampshade, which provided dim, yellowish light.

"Where were you?" a voice asked suspiciously and Saya winced at the voice. She turned to face Diva, who was then sitting up on the mattress, eyeing her.

"Uhm, yeah," Saya began while scratching the back of her head and simpering. "I was just—"

"Come here," Diva said sharply and Saya straightened up at once and headed to the bed.

"I thought you could sleep without me," Saya said, standing by the bedside.

"Not when it's cold," Diva replied. "Besides I told you a while ago that you would then be sleeping beside me when I'm carried to bed."

"But I don't remember you saying—"

"In the bed," Diva ordered. "_Now_."

Saya quickly got under the white sheets beside the younger twin. As soon as she was on the mattress, Diva hugged her waist, sending them both to sink into the soft pillows. Diva giggled, suddenly losing her austere mien from a few moments ago.

"Now it feels warm," Diva said softly. She giggled again.

"I don't think I could sleep properly with you hugging me," Saya said, unable to move much.

"At least I get to sleep," Diva said. "Right, onee-chan? You wouldn't mind at all as long as I could rest?" She looked at Saya innocently.

"I suppose," Saya said with a weary sigh. "Get to sleep then."

"Good night…"

"Mm. Good night…"

Diva gave a soft, amused chuckle as she closed her eyes. Saya sighed and stared at the dark ceiling.

Both easily fell asleep, warm, even when the night that enshrouded them was chilly.

* * *

_This, I have to admit is an idle chapter. By 'idle' I mean it just popped in my head and hey, look at that! It's a miracle. I finished the chapter. And now that you're aware that it is such, you can't blame me if there are some errors in grammar and spelling. I refuse to reread my work 'cause I have schoolwork to think about. And yes, apparently, I'm all messed up and I don't want to think of any more problems._

_Why am I telling you this? I don't even know. _

_Anyhow, I still kind of enjoyed making this chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'll try to make a better chapter next time, so until then! And sorry if I couldn't describe the places properly...I haven't been to London yet and I don't think I ever will..._

_Your reviews, if you would please submit some. I graciously appreciate your efforts to do so._


	20. Chapter 17: Normal as Always

_Auggh. This sucks. I'm really starting to lose it… Heck, what am I saying?_

_Ignore what I said and please read. _

_I'm happy today. Believe me._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XVII

Normal as Always

Saya was sitting up on the mattress. It was still dark in the room. Through the large, glass windows parallel to their bed, which revealed more of the trees and landscape, she could see nothing but darkness. Diva, as usual, was still sleeping soundly under the warm sheets of the bed. Saya pulled the blanket over her shoulder before getting to her feet. The air was still cold, and so was the floor.

She stood up and was about to head for the door when she heard a soft, muffled voice say, "…no, those are mine, Saya…and you can't have that dress either…" Saya looked over her shoulder at Diva. The younger twin said something again that was barely audible and stirred to the other side.

Saya smiled warmly, amused, and then unbolted the door and went out of the room. She took one last look at Diva, making sure that she was asleep, and closed the door.

The corridor was lined up with other doors, most of which the rooms weren't even occupied. The lights above her were left on to make her see her path. The smooth, hard wooden floor under Saya's bare feet was cold. She had soon found herself in the wide room where couches were gathered, with a low table in the middle and underneath spread a rug. Just beside this little arrangement was the wide, crystal window, complete with drawn bright curtains, which revealed the glowing red sky. A little way ahead was the wide staircase, with elegantly-designed railings, stretching down to the main floor.

Saya went down silently, intending to warm herself up in the room where the fireplace was. Every morning, a few days after their stay in the mansion, Saya learned that a fire was made every morning and she always found the hearth filled with consuming flames. It had become a part of her routine to warm herself up a bit, before Diva awakened. On her way, she met with Solomon.

"Good morning," Solomon greeted cheerfully with one of his gentle smiles.

"Good morning," Saya greeted back, responding with a smile as well.

"I see you're up to warm yourself again," Solomon observed. "It's quite colder than the past few mornings and I feel like I need a bit of warmth to seep in." He paused respectfully. "May I join you?"  
"Of course," Saya answered.

Both headed to the room where the fireplace was and were quite startled to hear a voice say, quite indignantly, "Who in goodness' name could have done such a thing?"

Saya and Solomon rushed inside to see Nathan, standing before the sofa, examining the furniture.

"What's wrong?" Solomon asked.

"There's a large tear in the sofa!" Nathan said. At once, Saya had remembered what had happened the previous night. Solomon glanced down at her and saw the flash of anxiety on the elder twin's face.

"How small can it be?" Solomon asked.

"Small?" Nathan repeated. "You call this 'small'? Come and see for yourself." Saya and Solomon went over to the sofa and indeed, they saw a large, long tear on the front.

"Who could have done this? It was even hidden behind the cushion!" Nathan said. Solomon saw the twin beside him flinch.

"Nathan, I—" Saya began, when Solomon quickly intervened.

"Haven't I been the good actor, Nathan?" he said coolly.

"Pardon?" Nathan said, looking at him in wonder.

"I'm the one who did it," Solomon said. Saya looked up at him, surprised. _Solomon…_

"You did it?" Nathan said in surprise. "And you were pretending to act so innocently?"

"Yes," the young, charismatic man said with a smile. "I was simply testing my weapon in here last night, you see, and I accidentally cut the sofa in the process."

It was obvious that he was lying. And the Queen beside him was clearly the one who was guilty, as she could not help but look anxious. Nathan found the matter trivial, but continued on anyway, "That's a strange thing if you would be testing the weapon in this room. You undoubtedly were aware that using such was quite dangerous."

"Yes. Yes I was aware." Solomon said. Both were already having a little 'conflict' to which they found amusing and to put quite a show in front of Saya. The gleam in Nathan's eyes already indicated his mere sense of humor and fun. "Perhaps the warmth of the fire in here was simply a thing I could not leave, especially since it was quite chilly last night."

"It is childish of you to hide your error behind a cushion, Solomon," Nathan replied.

"Yes," Solomon agreed. "It was childish and foolish if you look at it."

_What have I done? _Saya thought as she watched the two worriedly. She did not sense nor could make out that the two Chevaliers were merely acting like they were in a conflict.

"You do know that this cost a lot," Nathan began.

"Of course, of course," Solomon said. "I shall pay for it."

"I wouldn't be surprised to see that it does not bother you."

"I am quite wealthy," Solomon said. "It wouldn't be a problem at all if I would pay for it."

"Solomon—" Saya wanted to intervene.

"Besides," Solomon continued in amusement, cutting off whatever the elder twin wanted to say. "It was fun to do a little damage in this neat little house once in a while."

"Oh my. Acting like our brother Karl?"

"Not at all." Solomon smirked. "I'm not into destruction like he is. It was just something I found to be amusing."

Nathan saw him nod and nodded in response as well. "Call it 'fun', my dear Solomon. But that will not change the fact that you will pay for the damage that you have created."

"Indeed, it will not. I wish it could, but it unfortunately can't." Solomon gave a sigh. Saya tugged at his sleeve, but the young man just smiled at her.

"Have it changed later, will you?" Nathan said as he walked past them. "I shall be preparing tea, by the way. Would you mind having some?"

"I would," Solomon answered.

"And you, Saya?"

"I-I'll have to check on Diva first," Saya said.

"I see. Shall you go upstairs now? You could come along with me right now."

Saya nodded and followed after Nathan. They left Solomon behind, who smiled once more and sat down on the other sofa. Nathan and Saya walked in silence. Saya stared at Nathan's back.

"Nathan—"

"Oh, please tell Diva I have to tell her something once she's awake," Nathan said, intentionally interrupting with what Saya was about to say.

"Okay." They arrived by the staircase and parted ways then.

As Saya climbed the stairs, Nathan said, without facing her, "Please be a bit more careful next time, my Queen."

Saya was surprised and was about to reply. She blinked once and Nathan was gone.

-ns-

Saya sighed as she entered the room. Diva still seemed asleep up until then. It was lighter then, as the light was starting to brighten in the vast heavens. _So he knew all along that I was at fault. They both knew. _She did recall sensing a bit of lighthearted amusement a while ago from both Chevaliers. _But why did they still have to act that way? Why didn't they let me speak and admit my wrongdoing? _Saya blushed, feeling rather foolish when the realization dawned upon her. She knew both were fun of teasing. She learned of their habits and attitudes after her months with them. _They were playing some sort of trick again, weren't they? And I fell for it, didn't I? _ Saya placed a palm to cover her face. _Oh for crying out loud…_

She was startled once more when arms suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her down.

"Diva…" Saya stared up the younger twin. She gave a pathetic smile. "Good morning…"

Diva smiled cheerfully and noticed something. "Onee-chan, why are you blushing?"

Saya's face was still red. "Wha..? Blushing?" Her face flushed deeper when she realized it was true. "I'm not blushing…"

"Yes you are," Diva said playfully. She grinned. "Did something happen while I was asleep?"

"Nothing in particular…" Saya averted her gaze, remembering how easily she was fooled.

"How about I do this?" Diva asked.

Saya did not understand what she was referring to. "Diva, what are you—" She was cut off when a pillow covered her face.

Diva giggled when she placed it on Saya's face. "There. You don't have to worry about your face 'cause no one will see it."

"Thank you, Diva," Saya said sarcastically, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I can perfectly not see you, which is a lot better." She paused. "Oh, wait. I forgot something." She unexpectedly removed the pillow and hit Diva with it.

Diva laughed and fell back.

"Laugh while you still can, little sister of mine," Saya said, grinning mischievously. "'cause I'm going to get you!" She leaped into bed with the younger twin. Diva giggled and held a pillow in her hands, then threw it straight into Saya's face.

"That hurt!" Saya wailed. The force of the hit did make her fall back. The moment she removed the pillow, another one followed. Before she could make further reaction, Diva started to tickle her and the two girls wrestled in the bed, laughing.

-ns-

"Diva," Nathan said as he entered the room. He saw the twins lying comfortably alongside each other in the large, white pillows. Once again the bed was messy and the sisters were tired. "Goodness," he said. "Another game in a morning so early?"

"It's to warm up!" Diva stated cheerfully.

"Well, it's good you're both ready to start a new day," Nathan said. "Which reminds me, breakfast is ready downstairs."

"Aww," Diva said. "But we're tired."

"I don't want you to keep your meals waiting, though," Nathan said. "Of course, if you want to chase them around the mansion, it's fine."

-ns-

Humans are indeed weak when it came to them being the prey. And so it had occurred when the sisters fed on two female teenagers. When they were done, the bodies were taken away by Solomon and James while Nathan stayed with the two in the room.

"Shall we practice a bit more today?" Nathan asked. They were sitting in another room, a room with two shelves filled with books of all sorts.

"I don't mind at all," Diva replied. While she sat on the couch, Saya was walking around, checking the books or otherwise looking out the window, not paying much attention to the conversation, considering that she wasn't involved anyway.

"The preparations for your performance will be held a day after this," Nathan said. "It's best that you make use of whatever time is left."

"There's not much to do here anyway," Diva said. "So I think I'd rather sing than stay here."

"Perhaps we could go shopping for your dresses after practice," Nathan suggested, beaming. "What do you think?"

"I like that." Diva turned to Saya, who was then intrigued by a book that she had pulled out randomly from the bookshelf. "Onee-chan," she said.

"What is it?" Saya asked, looking up from the pages of the book.

"We're going to Covent Garden today. And afterwards, go shopping."

"That's nice," Saya remarked simply. "When shall we leave, anyway?"

"Now, of course," Diva answered. "No, after we have our bath."

"By 'we have our bath', you don't mean…" Saya's voice trailed off when Diva smiled mischievously.

"Onee-chan kept on having separate baths from me," Diva stated. "Please?"

Saya sighed. "Oh, alright. But on one condition."

"What?"

"You _won't _touch my hair."

-ns-

"Tell me one thing, Diva," Saya began as she sat in a tub filled with warm, bubbly water

"What?"

"You do remember my condition from a while ago, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"If you agreed to that, why are you washing my hair?"

"But you told me to!" Diva protested innocently as she continued to shampoo Saya's hair.

"I was asking you if you could hand me the shampoo, not asking you to _use _it on me," Saya stated.

"Hey, lookie!" Diva said happily. "You're now a shark!" Saya tried to look at her hair and realized Diva had shaped it into a triangle.

"Haha, Diva," Saya said sarcastically. "I don't want to be a shark. Turn me back to Saya, will you?"

Diva giggled, not paying much attention to the elder twin. "You're now the princess with the silly hair."

Saya realized that the younger twin had twisted her hair into a spiral, with it pointing upward. It was indeed funny and she tried to fight back her smile. "Diva," she began.

"No, wait!" Diva messed her shampooed hair again and shaped it again. She parted Saya's hair into two parts at each side and from the tip rolled it to head. She couldn't contain her laughter when she saw the two silly rolls on Saya's head.

"What's funny this time?" Saya couldn't quite see the new hairstyle and stood up to look at the mirror. Seeing her own reflection in the mirror, she smiled. "Very funny, Diva," she said, facing the younger twin. "Now it's your turn to have your hair washed."

-ns-

"What took you so long?" Nathan asked as the two sisters came out of the room. He was waiting at the end of the corridor.

"We had some 'hair problems'," Saya answered and beside her, Diva giggled.

"I see," Nathan said with a smile. "Well, in any case, while you two were bathing, I already told James and Solomon of our plans and they both agreed."

"Even my James?" Diva asked.

"A little fight was all before he agreed," Nathan answered.

-ns-

The small group went down into the living room where James and Solomon were waiting. Though the dark-skinned Chevalier was clearly against the matter off leaving the mansion, he said nothing of it and went off ahead to get the limousine. It took a few minutes before the limo was parked in front of the staircase to the entrance of the mansion where Saya, Diva, Nathan and Solomon were waiting. Soon, everyone got in and the vehicle quickly left the grounds of the mansion through the tall gate which was readily opened by a guard.

Not much had taken place inside the limousine. Idle talk was what filled the room, mostly dry remarks and occasional giggles and fits of laughter between the two sisters. Solomon had not spoken much and preferred to just watch the two have their small game. Meanwhile, James was trying to concentrate with his driving, gritting his teeth in irritation as Nathan, who was beside him, was chatting noisily about certain things which James saw as trivial and absurd.

When they had arrived in front of the Royal Opera House, everyone got out to enter the building while James drove off to find another suitable parking space.

-ns-

Saya sat at the front, Solomon behind her, while Diva and Nathan went on the wide stage. Nathan motioned the young twin to sing and indeed, as soon as her voice filled the entire building, the same enchanting effect held everyone in place.

Remembering what they had practiced the previous day, Diva walked slowly from one location to another as she sang. With each sure step and with her posture firm and straight, it all clearly conveyed her confidence. She glanced at each and everyone of her small group of audience (James had appeared in the middle of her song, by the way) and saw the same look of awe and admiration in their eyes.

As soon as she was done singing, Nathan exclaimed, "Simply marvelous! I have nothing else to say."

"That was beautiful, Diva," Saya said with a smile.

"Now, all we have to do is do a bit more of polishing before you're ready."

-ns-

A few more hours were spent on Diva's practice. Saya watched all throughout, and so did Solomon and James. Seeing that there was nothing else to correct and now that Diva had mastered her performance, Nathan had announced that they would call it a day.

"That was fun!" Diva said cheerfully as she walked toward Saya. She quickly caught Saya's hand and squeezed it excitedly. "Onee-chan, let's go shopping!"

"Shopping was what you mentioned earlier," Saya said. "Where are we going to shop in anyway?"

"Why, it would nowhere else but Harrods, of course!" Nathan cheerfully said behind them.

"What?" James said indignantly.

"That's in Knightsbridge, if I'm not mistaken," Solomon stated. He smiled cheerfully. "It sounds like awful fun. Let's go!"

"I thought you said we would go back to the mansion after this!" James said.

"We go home _after _we're done shopping in Harrods," Nathan corrected. "Now, now. You don't want to keep our two Queens waiting, now do you? Mama will surely get mad if you go against her wishes."

James glared at Nathan and folded his arms huffily. He walked to the entrance and said before going out, "Wait for me here while I get the limo."

"Oh, we'll be waiting, alright," Nathan said with a sly smile.

-ns-

It didn't take to long before they stopped in front of a large, tall building. Solomon quickly got out and had Saya and Diva step out. Nathan went out as well, leaving James who said that he'd rather watch over the vehicle. People were staring at the small group who had arrived in a luxurious limousine. Two, young girls who seemed to be twins, with a rather girly-looking man in bright clothes and a charming, young blond man in a white suit.

"Uhm, Diva, don't you think we stand out too much?" Saya asked as they passed through the crowd and entered through the entrance of the department store. "A lot of people are staring at us."

"Ignore them," Diva said, not seeming to notice the curious stares of the people. "Let them stare."

-ns-

Harrods was unlike any other mall which Saya had entered. Here inside, everything seemed so elegant and luxurious. Beautiful, bright chandeliers hung from the decorated ceilings. Stores and pretty little stalls filled the area, each one selling, displaying numerous items like jewelry. Diva did not seem to be fascinated, as some of the women who passed by did and admired the precious little items. _Come to think of it,_ Saya thought. _Diva loves to wear dresses but I never saw her use a piece of jewelry, be it a ring on her finger or a bracelet on her wrist…or even a necklace._

Solomon looked around. "This place never fails to teem with people," he observed.

"More like food," Diva said with a grin.

"Speaking of food," Saya said, her eyes growing wide in excitement as she stared at a particular stall. "I see cupcakes!"

-ns-

"I don't see how you can still be eating rubbish," Diva said as Saya licked the cream on her lips.

"What?" Saya protested. "You keep on saying such even when you didn't try it yet."

"You have something on your face," Solomon said.

"Really?" Saya tried to wipe her mouth with her hands but failed to wipe the white stain on her cheek.

"Here, let me help you," Solomon offered, taking out a white handkerchief and wiping the cream gently from Saya's cheek. Saya stopped walking, surprised. As soon as he was done, he kept it in the hidden pocket under his suit.

Saya was blushing slightly. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Solomon said cheerfully. They continued walking, following behind Diva and Solomon.

-ns-

Dissatisfied, Nathan and Diva rode the escalator and Solomon and Saya were just a few steps behind. The two girls behind Solomon and Saya giggled and Saya knew that they were looking at Solomon. She looked up at the blond man but he just kept looking straight ahead. Even a few minutes before, a few young girls who happened to pass by him could not help but glance back at Solomon in admiration and wonder. Solomon, though, was clearly oblivious to their stares and flirting remarks.

_You're not bothered at all by all of them_ _are you? _Saya asked telepathically.

Solomon looked down at her. _Of course I'm not. Besides, I'm quite used to it, so don't worry._

_Still, how can you handle all that?_

_The mere thoughts of you and Diva are what let me look straight ahead. No other human female can compare to both your beauty. _Solomon smiled at her, which triggered another giggle from the girls behind (and also irritated Saya).

"Marvelous!" Nathan said as he stood before a considerably large department store where gowns and dresses were displayed in the windows, worn by mannequins.

"Onee-chan!" Diva said excitedly, and Saya went to her side.

The group went inside and Diva went to study the dresses. At once, a young, female attendant with light brown hair appeared.

-ns-

Nathan had chosen the dresses while the attendant wasn't of much use, staring at the strange little group curiously.

"This way, ma'am," the attendant said to Diva (who pulled Saya along with her), leading them to a wide, private changing room. "Please take your time."

Diva smirked and entered the room.

"Aww, but do I have to?" Saya asked.

"Of course you do," Diva snapped impatiently. "I chose your dresses back in Paris—"

"Well, you're the one who forced me to wear them anyway," Saya interrupted.

"Shut up and get inside." Diva pulled the elder twin forcefully in.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to be so harsh," Saya said.

As the door closed, the attendant couldn't help but smile.

-ns-

Diva only chose two dresses, one slender, deep blue on, which was open at the back until the shoulder blades and left the neck and shoulders completely bare and another one which was a deep shade of crimson, a sleeveless one and showed a bit more of the back. The younger twin's taste was certainly shocking for Saya for Diva never wore such revealing dresses, but the outfits did really suit her and she knew Diva was happy with it so she didn't pursue the matter.

"Splendid! They look absolutely adorable!" Nathan said when Diva showed him the dresses.

"I want more," Diva said, pouting while crossing her arms. "This place is boring now."

"Of course, of course!" Nathan said cheerfully. "We shall look into other stores and you can pick as much as you please."

-ns-

And indeed, they went from store to store. Diva chose and tried on some dresses, with Saya to help in deciding. Each store was very different from the other. One had smooth, wooden floors. Mannequins were dressed in beautiful dresses as well, displayed neatly in the glass for everyone to see.

When Diva had chosen at least six different dresses, she then decided to but a pair of sandals to match her outfit. Again, the small group wandered from store to store and it had taken the younger twin at least two more hours to buy at least four pairs of high-heeled sandals.

When at last the younger twin was satisfied, and when Solomon was holding quite a number of shopping bags and did look pitiful, they had decided to leave. On they way, Saya spotted yet another stall selling cakes.

"Please?" she asked pleadingly to the younger twin. And of course the sight of Saya begging was such an amusing thing that Diva allowed her to buy more of the neat human treats.

-ns-

"What took you so long?" James demanded to Nathan.

"Oh, come now, James," Nathan said with a shrug. "It was just a few, good hours."

"A few good hours?" James repeated. "That was _seven _hours! Do you know what time it is?"

"It's around eight o'clock, if I can imagine," Nathan said nonchalantly. He glanced to the small group headed toward them. "Mama enjoyed her time so much, choosing dresses for her performance. Can't you understand that?"

James growled fiercely at him before turning to face Diva.

"You're not mad, are you, James?" Diva asked innocently.

"Of course not, Diva," James answered, his face softening and his tone turning gentler. "Shall we leave?"

"Yes," Diva answered. At that, Solomon, despite the bags in his hands, quickly opened the door to the limousine, inviting Diva and Saya inside.

Nathan made sure Diva, Saya and Solomon had entered before entering the limo himself. As they left, Saya watched the building in awe, marveling at the bright flashing lights decorated all over the building.

-ns-

Within a span of minutes, Diva had fallen asleep on Saya's shoulder. Saya sighed wearily and looked out the window, watching the places disappear behind her like a blur. The city was certainly bright, with tall, old-fashioned buildings and bright lights. Despite her exhaustion, she was still able to appreciate London at night.

"Why don't you sleep? You seem a bit weary," Solomon said, watching her with concern.

"I'm fine," Saya said, giving a wry smile. "I don't want to sleep yet." She continued to look out the window again. Her action clearly indicated that she was in no mood to speak and though Solomon did so much want to converse with her, he could not. So he decided to look out the window as well.

Everything was quiet in the limo. Only the engine's thrumming was all that could be heard and not one of them uttered a word. For once, Nathan was silent. It was a thing Saya somehow enjoyed. Sitting comfortably in a cold vehicle, with her sister to keep her warm at the side, with everyone silent as she looked out and watched the things taking place outside.

-ns-

They had soon arrived and the limo went through slowly the entrance. When everyone got down, Solomon had to carry Diva in his arms to bring her up into the bedroom. They entered the mansion and Solomon headed directly upstairs. Saya headed to the room with the fireplace and Nathan came along with her. She hardly noticed that he was gone from her side a few moments after and when she entered the room, Nathan was sitting on his haunches, attempting to start a fire. Saya did not consider this however, for she was quite accustomed to Nathan's habit of appearing here and there. Soon, the flames came to life and Nathan stood up, satisfied.

Saya sat on the couch wearily. Then, she noticed that the tear was gone from it and it was new. Before she could ask the question, Nathan said, "Solomon had it changed when we left. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

"You knew that I was the one who did it, right?" Saya asked slowly as she stared at the fire.

"Perhaps," Nathan said.

"Was it costly?"

"I doubt it would affect his pocket," Nathan answered and that seemed to make Saya smile.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you at once."

"No harm was done anyway," Nathan pointed out. "Forget it happened. You'll feel better." He paused and said, "I'm off to read another book now. Are you sure you still want to stay awake?"

"I do," Saya replied. She heard Nathan walk out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Saya was alone in the room again. Staring at the fire made her sleepy enough. But when her eyes fell once more on the sabers, she couldn't help but feel the tingling sensation in her fingers. Unconsciously, she clenched her fist as she looked at the weapons. _No, Saya! _she told herself firmly. _You know you shouldn't be touching those after what you did last night. _Saya sat up straight. She knew she shouldn't be holding them again. But feeling the handle in her hands, and slashing at the air…felt wonderful. _It's just this once_, another part of herself assured. _Nathan didn't get mad, or neither did Solomon. In fact, they made a joke out of it, so it's not much of a big deal. _

Before she knew it, she was standing on the chair and was reaching out for one of the saber. _Besides, _her mind continued. _It's not like you'll be making another tear. You'll be careful. Much more careful._

Saya examined the blade in her hands and saw her own reflection in it. Wide, excited eyes. Bloodthirsty eyes. She tested the handle again with one hand and slashed at the air. The move was exciting her nerves. She wanted to do more than just one hit. Maybe a couple of moves would do. But she couldn't do it here. No. Not with so many furniture around. She couldn't risk damaging another object.

_Perhaps…I could do it outside. _The absurdity of the idea did not occur to her. She was far too excited. Her nerves were simply tingling with agitation. Carefully, she poked her head through the door, checking if anyone was there. She knew that Nathan was reading another book in his room and when he was reading, he hardly took any notice of his surroundings. James would…probably be somewhere with Solomon in another room. Usually, they stayed at the farthest corner of the mansion, were the room was wide. Her instincts assured her that no one was near the door, so she dashed for the door and quickly went outside. The night lamps had provided her with much light. She headed to a spot where she knew no one would see her. In the soft grass, she readied herself. Then, suddenly, she began to practice through different combat styles, slicing dangerously at the air as if she were facing a real opponent. This was her practice. If Diva had her own practice by day, then this is what she wanted to do every night. She thrust her sword forward and drew it back quickly, panting. She was tired, but she didn't want to stop. Something was lacking.

_Maybe if there were people, or perhaps some chiropterans, I could… _she shook her head, surprised. What was happening to her? Feeling so thrilled, she couldn't help but wonder if she could fight like this again. Perhaps she could grow stronger quickly if she practiced every night. It sounded good. And Diva wouldn't have to know. Maybe she could surprise her.

Sweat trickled down her brow. She decided to stop and rest. Quickly, she went back inside. No one was there to see her. She went inside the room and placed the saber back to its original place. By then, the fire had died down and it was only glowing-red coals. It was getting colder.

Saya rested for a few minutes before running upstairs, into the bedroom. Through there, she went inside the private bathroom she and Diva shared and took a quick shower. She did a little scrubbing and then rinsed herself carefully. Drying herself with a towel, she left the bathroom and went to her cabinet to pull on her undergarments and wear her nightgown afterwards. She dried her hair with a blow-dryer and when her hair was dry enough, she finally went up to the bed.

She collapsed into bed with Diva, finally getting to feel something soft for her body. She snuggled under the white blankets and giggled all to herself, feeling comfortable. Then, she closed her eyes and only a few minutes had passed before she was asleep.

* * *

_Well, now, that was simply boring. Oh, and the Harrods part. I wish I could enter that department store in London but unfortunately, I can't. I can't describe it either because I haven't entered it yet. In fact, I haven't set a foot on England. I haven't even gone outside the country. So far I've seen Harrods only in the pictures when I researched in the internet. Most just showed Harrods from the outside. If ever they did show what was inside, it just showed a small part where food stalls were standing. Videos were of no help either 'cause I couldn't even understand exactly what part of the building they were showing. In short, I know nothing of Harrods or how it looks like. All I know is that it's a pretty department store where rich people shop._

_If ever you know how Harrods looks like from inside, good for you! Just imagine Harrods another way 'cause I couldn't describe it the way I should. (It's unrealistic that way I portrayed it, I know.) I'm sure your imagination can surpass mine. And I'm sorry I couldn't write much and this chapter was bor-ring. Simply. Don't worry, I'm following a plot which I've recently arranged so I'm hoping the next chapter wouldn't be so 'normal'._

_Bear with me. I swear I'll make a thrilling chapter. Just you wait._

_By the way, I need the reviews. (In all honesty, your reviews place a very big influence on my chapters. A small number of reviews can't pump me up for a good chapter. You have to help me!)_

_Did I mention I did this on a rush…again?_


	21. Chapter 18: Burned into Ashes

_Forgive me if the updating is taking too long. I was so busy lately with schoolwork and I've got some other neck-breaking problems here at home. This chapter's still…well, kind of 'normal', if you get me. But, seriously, if you don't wanna read this, you could wait for the other chapter. I don't really mind._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XVIII

Burned into Ashes

"How long will it take before we could arrive in London, anyway?" Kai asked impatiently as he sat on the chair.

"Two days," David answered plainly.

"But you said Diva's performance would be the week after their departure!" Kai said.

"Yes," David agreed grimly. "I'm afraid we'll be arriving on the second day of her performance."

"How can we possibly get Saya back if we have only three days left for us?" Kai demanded.

"We have no idea on where they are headed to after that," David replied. "But I doubt they would be leaving at once."

Kai lay back on his seat. How long has it been by then? He couldn't wait. Nor could the Schiff. Strangely for the past few days, they were restless. They avoided him as soon as he was present. And most queer of all was the fact that he hadn't seen Irene.

The thought was bothering. He won't be seeing Saya for at least two days and now he still couldn't find Irene, despite the fact that she was on the same ship he was in. Kai stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. Wordlessly, he exited the room.

-ns-

As he walked to the front deck of the ship, he caught sight of a hooded figure by the railing. "Hey!" he called to the person. When the face turned to him, he was surprised. It was no other than Irene herself. He ran up to her at once. "Irene? What are you…" his voice trailed off.

Irene smiled wryly. Then her smile faded into what Kai saw as sadness. "I'm sorry if…if I avoided you for the past few days." Her voice was strangely weak, yet her face showed no sign of pain or whatsoever.

Kai shook his head. "It's alright. I guess you needed time alone and I didn't want to demand your attention."

"No, it's not alright," Irene said seriously. "We said we'd be your friends from them on. Both you and I were the ones who made the humans and Schiff come together peacefully. But I myself…" Her shoulders shook. "…I avoided you."

Her sudden situation was alarming him. "It's not something you should worry of, Irene. Really."

"You're quite fortunate to be a human, Kai," Irene said, suddenly shifting topics. Kai couldn't understand. What was wrong with her?

"I'm not," Kai said. "Humans are…slaves to their own desires. They keep on stumbling over their errors."

Irene looked back at him. "You speak as though you aren't one."

"I wish I were like you," Kai admitted. "At least with your capabilities, you could do pretty much anything."  
"You rather not," she said softly, returning her gaze to the sun, which was slowly setting. "We Schiff cannot live as long as humans could…"

"…Is that why you're going after Saya and Diva?" Kai asked.

"Yes," was Irene's reply. "We called it the Thorn. But we already knew about it back then."

"What was it like…" Kai asked slowly, avoiding her gaze, "…back then?"

"We were born in a place called Khirbet," Irene answered. "It was a cold and dark place. The humans…they taught us what was necessary. But most of the time, they made us fight." Irene seemed to cringe at the memory and Kai watched her with growing concern. "Everyday…fighting. Fighting… And then more fighting… There was no end to that. However, as time passed, we were growing smaller in number. The other Schiff were slowly dying for no cause. Red cracks would grow on their bodies and faces and then…slowly, so slowly, they die…

"We knew our lives then depended on the blood Saya and Diva have, that's why, right now, I'm with you…"

Kai couldn't say anything. What else could he say?

"Kai…" Irene said softly. "Are you…are you afraid of me?"

"No, Irene," Kai answered, taken by surprise at her words.

"…Then we'll still be friends?"

"Of course!"

"So no matter what happens, Kai…" Irene paused. "…We'll still be friends?"

"Yes," Kai assured. He was growing more worried now.

"I wish there was more time," Irene said, her face reflecting pain and sadness. Somehow, the same pain and sadness was seeping into Kai…as if he was starting to feel what the girl with him was experiencing.

"There _is _time, Irene," Kai said, his voice now laced with concern.

"If only there was…" Irene said painfully. She held his hand, an act that startled Kai inwardly. There was a small part of her wrist which was bare and Kai glimpsed something red. It was cracks… Red cracks.

"Irene?" Kai stared at the young girl before him. He tried to study her face under the dark hood. True enough, he saw red cracks across her cheek as well. "Irene…" he was stunned by what he saw. "Irene…you have the Thorn…?"

"Yes," Irene answered in painful slowness. She squeezed his hand.

"We should tell them…!" Kai turned around, attempting to dash back through the entrance. But the hand that was holding his remained firmly in place in its steely grip. Kai looked back at her. "Irene…"

"Please don't tell the others," Irene said. "They still don't know…"

"But we have to tell them!" Kai protested. He was becoming desperate. "Irene, we have to…" his voice trailed off when the young girl looked up at him in silent plea, begging him to stop.

"I don't want to worry them, Kai…" Irene said softly. "I just want you here with me."

"But why me, Irene?" Kai was confused and frantic.

"Because…" Irene gave a small smile "You were the first person to make me realize what hope really meant…"

"Hope…?" Kai repeated, not understanding the word at all. A lump filled his throat.

"Even when we had escaped Khirbet, I honestly did not know what that word meant. We claimed to be living for hope, because we wanted to believe in it. But I couldn't just believe in something I couldn't understand." She looked back at him, her smile slightly brightening.

It only made Kai feel worse.

"Hope is such a wonderful word, don't you think, Kai?"

"Yeah," Kai said softly. His eyes burned. He knew she was dying, yet he couldn't do anything to help her. "It sure is…"

They watched the sun set beautifully.

"This world is so full of wonders," Irene began. "I wish I could see it all with you by my side." She paused, and then smiled once more. "But walking with you in the streets of Paris was enough."

"Don't say that!" Kai cried, a thing that surprised the young girl. "You're not going to die, you hear me? You're not going to die so stop acting like it's going to happen!" He was unaware of the tears that were flowing down his cheeks.

"Kai…" she was at loss with words.

"I promised to myself…" Kai's shoulders shook. "I promised to save everyone! So stop making me worry, Irene! Because…" He gritted his teeth. "Because one day I'll be going back to Okinawa with Saya and we'll bring you along. And then I'll show you how to cook delicious food and we'd eat it with everyone else!"

"That would be great, Kai," Irene said, smiling warmly. "But you see, you already saved me…"

Kai's heart faltered at her words. Irene squeezed his hand and he held hers tightly as well.

"I always dreamed of walking under the sun, or watching it without wearing my hood…"

Kia's eyes widened in shock. "No…"

"Kai, you'll stay by my side forever, won't you?"

"Please stop! Please, Irene…"

Irene was about to remove her hood, but Kai held her hand tightly.

"Kai, please…" Irene said gently. "As my friend, I have one request…" She didn't have to continue because Kai reluctantly released her hand. Irene walked away a bit far from him while he watched her. A breeze blew strongly, pushing back her hood.

"No!" Kai ran toward her, holding out his hand to pull the hood back. But it was too late.

Far too late.

Irene smiled back at him. "Thank you, Kai…for everything."

She burst into green flames.

"No!" Kai was forced to step back. He shielded his face with one hand. He was crying then and the tears continually ran down his cheeks.

-ns-

David, Lewis, Joel, Julia. Okamura, Mao and some other agents ran to the front deck where they heard a cry. There, they saw Kai on his knees, sobbing while the rest of the Schiff stood nearby, watching the green flames burn continually.

"What happened?" David asked.

"Irene is gone," a stoic voice said softly. They turned to find Haji standing beside them. The Chevalier gazed at the flames with a blank expression.

"The girl?" Julia asked.

"Yes."

-ns-

"We have received reports from London," an agent reported in Joel's office. Everyone else was there, all except for Kai. He was allowed to stay in his room.

"Please continue," Joel said as he sat before his table, propping his hands on it and clasping one on the other.

"According to the report, they have discovered a research facility on the outskirts of the city." The agent handed him a brown envelope containing the files.

"Are there any news on Saya's whereabouts?" Joel asked as he took out the papers and scanned them.

"There was a suspicious limousine roaming in the city, and had been stopping by Covent Garden from time to time," the agent answered. "We were unable to confirm if it was Saya or Diva who was inside, though."

"Were you able to track it down?"

"Certain circumstances delayed us. And it posed danger, Director."

"I see. Do tell them to continue their observations until we arrive in London."

"Of course."

"Are there any more?"

"So far, that is all I could report to you, Director."

"Then you may leave and return to your quarters. Thank you." The agent inclined his head respectfully and left the room.

"No doubt, that limousine could be Diva's," David said when the agent was gone.

"I agree," Joel said. "However, we still have to observe them before we could formulate a plan."

"Will the Schiff partake of our mission?" Julia asked.

"We all have but one target," David said. "But I doubt they would join us. Their view is probably different from ours and I should think that they have their own plans."

"What…happened to the girl?" Mao asked, rather sadly and the previous topic was quickly forgotten.

They all quickly understood that he was referring to. "The Schiff had prevented us from drawing any closer to the flames," Joel said.

"And neither did they allow us to touch the remains after the flame died down," David added grimly.

"They planned to throw her ashes into the sea," a quiet voice answered. All turned to Haji, who was standing by the door.

"Shouldn't we at least go out to show our respect?" Okamura asked. "Not that we know them much. But still, they're our comrades, aren't they?"

-ns-

"Irene never said that she had the Thorn," Lulu said sadly. "And she died…without telling us a single thing."

"She never wanted to make us worry," Moses said as he held the one-sided blade in his hands.

Karman clenched his fists in frustration while muttering a curse. "What now? Irene's gone. How could we possibly track Saya and Diva down?"

"I don't know," Moses admitted.

"That human wouldn't be of any help," Karman grumbled.

"You mean Kai?" Moses asked.

"Irene only told him, didn't she?" Lulu said. "Why did she tell him, and not us?"

"Sometimes, I just don't understand what goes through her mind," Moses said. He looked up at the stars. "But I just know that that is the path she chose and that's where she ended." He gave a bitter smile. "That's our Irene, alright."

-ns-

Kai lay on the bed in his dim-lighted room. Thoughts had been bothering him hours after what had just occurred. It was probably dawn by then and he still refused to be pulled into the arms of sleep. Every part of his body was aching for some unusual reason and yet he hardly noticed it.

"_You were the first person to make me realize what hope really meant…"_ Was it really he who made her understand hope? "But Irene, I'm already losing it…" he said softly.

"_This world is so full of wonders," Irene began. "I wish I could see it all with you by my side." She paused, and then smiled once more. "But walking with you in the streets of Paris was enough." _The young man crumpled the sheets in his hand. Just seeing how happy she was, during that one time when he saw her and was able to walk down with her through the streets of Paris…it was hard to believe that she was gone now. She was dead.

"_I promised to myself…" Kai's shoulders shook. "I promised to save everyone! So stop making me worry, Irene! Because…" He gritted his teeth. "Because one day I'll be going back to Okinawa with Saya and we'll bring you along. And then I'll show you how to cook delicious food and we'd eat it with everyone else!"_

"_That would be great, Kai," Irene said, smiling warmly. "But you see, you already saved me…"_

Damn it! It was all too frustrating! It was too painful! He turned to the other side. His face was still damp with tears and now he felt like they're not too far from flowing down his cheeks again. He gritted his teeth, trying to prevent from bursting into tears once more.

"_Thank you, Kai…for everything."_ Those were the last words Irene had told him. They were the words of gratitude.

He hated it whenever he cried because then, he felt so weak. But that thought was not strong enough to hold back the tears. Nor could it stop him from sobbing into his pillow. He couldn't save his dad, nor Riku, not even Saya. He couldn't save Irene. He couldn't save anyone.

He hated to cry like some stupid brat who was overly emotional over some trivial matter. But perhaps the matter was not so light. And he didn't think himself to be a brat, or to be stupid, only reckless, that's all.

Besides, he was still crying. Perhaps he'd think if he was a stupid brat some other time. But the matter regarding Irene's death…

That was another thing to consider.

-ns-

"So, you really think we should do it here?" Karman asked. The wind was blowing harder than usual.

"There's not much we could do," Moses told him as he held the remains of Irene. They were standing by the edge of the heliport, the topmost part of the Red Shield Headquarters. The moon was shining brightly on them, casting a gentle, ghostly light like that of the day.

"But I don't want her to go yet," Lulu sobbed, tugging on Moses' sleeve. "No! I don't want Irene to go!"

Gudrif gave a sigh and held the young girl close to him. "There's no other place where Irene could stay, Lulu…" he said softly, watching with concern as the young girl faced him and cried into his arms.

Moses sighed as well, and he too was reluctant to let go of the very ashes to Irene's body. He was about to unclasp his hand when Karman said, "They're watching us."

All four Schiff turned to see the small familiar group of people standing close to the stairs, indeed watching them silently from a respectful distance. Among them was Kai, who eyed them sullenly.

"What should we do?" Karman asked Moses. But there was no response. "Moses?" But Moses was already walking toward the small group, not seeming to have heard his question. "Moses, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"I shouldn't be the one to let her go, Karman," was Moses' reply, his back turned against him.

Kai saw what was going on and walked towards the approaching Schiff as well. Lulu dashed to him and cried into his arms.

"Irene's gone!" she said in her frail voice.

"I know, Lulu…" Kai said soothingly, rubbing her back. "I know…"

Moses stood before him and held out something in is clasped hand. "Irene would have wanted to have you let go of her as well."

Kai looked at his hand. He didn't know if he was prepared for this. The simple thought that she was gone was something he could not bear. How could he handle the very remains of her body?

"Please Kai," Moses said, looking directly into his eyes, pleading him earnestly. "For everyone and especially for Irene's sake."

Kai stared hard at his hand, and then tentatively reached out. He hesitated for a moment, then had Moses carefully place a small piece of cloth in his hand. He immediately held the piece of cloth in his hand tightly, fearing it would be blown away by the wind.

They headed to the edge of the heliport. Form there, Kai could see the dark expanse of the sea, reflecting the cold light from the moon above.

"Moses, why did you—" Karman began indignantly, but was cut off.

"Irene would have wanted this and you know it," Moses said calmly. Karman clamped his mouth shut and watched what Kai would do.

Kai held out his arm and was about to open his hand. But his fingers refused to let go, and tightened its hold instead. He didn't want to let go. He couldn't… It was hard to accept that his dear friend was now mere ashes in his clenched fist. He was holding the remains, the entire her…

His hand was shaking, already a cold thing in the wind. A hand touched his, gentle and warm, and he heard Moses say softly, "It is time to let go, Kai…"

He had no other choice. He clenched the cloth in his hands, just like the moment when he squeezed Irene's hand in his. Then, reluctantly, he opened his hand, unwrapped the cloth, and watched the ashes go along with the wind.

"Goodbye, Irene…"

The group watched solemnly as the dark remains of the girl Irene flew with the breeze towards other unknown lands…

Or perhaps to the other worlds beyond.

* * *

_Yeah. I know this was unusually short, but that's the way it is. I promised to make better chapters, but this still isn't the time to fulfill that. And I'm sorry if things aren't too well-detailed. I like Irene, but I had to 'end' her part in this chapter 'cause in the series, she didn't last long as well, right? I don't want to remove her, but I guess I had to be a bit 'realistic', because making her last too long is quite…strange. I must say though, it's a bit too abrupt, but heck, who cares? I'm hurrying the events 'cause there are a few other events I'd like to write about after these._

_I'm somehow losing my thrill in writing. Continuing the chapters seems to be more of a duty than a hobby… But I still write for your sake, and yeah, there's still that anticipation for a few events I think you would find interesting._

_And your reviews…don't forget them._


	22. Chapter 19: Discovered Pleasure

_How should I begin... Uh, yeah. This is yet another chapter. I guess, it's a bit...never mind. Okay, look. I know this ain't getting any better. I keep on assuring better chapters. I keep on making those promises. Yeah, I know. _

_Listen, I don't know if this is going to be enjoyable, but please read. If you don't want to...well, it's your choice._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XIX

Discovered Pleasure

Last night was simply wonderful for Saya. She was able to get her hands on the saber, and better yet, practice with it outside. Not only that, she was able to practice longer, probably two or three hours before Nathan wondered where she was. Fortunately, she was able to slip back into the house without the slightest detection, and return the saber to where it should be. Then she was able to run up the stairs, quietly to her room, and under the warm sheets with Diva. Of course, not even the younger twin seemed to have any idea on what was going on whenever she was asleep.

But today too, was the special day for Diva, and Saya knew that. _Today's the day I get to watch Diva sing in front of everyone,_ Saya thought happily. _But why is it that it doesn't feel so special today? _She looked to her side. The younger twin was sound asleep as she always was. _Oh well…_

Due to her excitement, she woke up earlier than usual. It was cold, perhaps colder than the past few nights. She hoped that there was a nice, bright fire waiting for her downstairs. So she slowly got out from bed, but was startled when a hand suddenly caught her wrist.

"Onee-chan…" came a bleary voice. "Where are you going?"  
Saya turned and looked at Diva, who was still hugging one large pillow under her arm. "I'm going downstairs to warm myself a bit."

"And you plan to leave me here in the cold?" The voice was slightly accusing.

"No, of course not," Saya said. "Well, if you want to come…" Diva got up, rubbing an eye. She got to her feet and looked at her.

"Let's go."

The two siblings went downstairs, hand-in-hand. When they had entered the room with the fireplace, it was already bright and warm because in the hearth were the flames themselves. They sat on the soft-cushioned sofa, side-by-side.

Minutes crawled by in silence.

"…Diva?"

"What?"

"Aren't…aren't you excited at all?"

"Why?" asked the younger twin flatly. "Is there anything special about this day?"

"Eh…" Saya stared at her in surprise, lip quirking up at one side to reveal a ridiculous smile.

The blue eyes stared up at her in curiosity, then drooped halfway in boredom.

-ns-

"Get up, sleepyhead," Mao said as she stood by the small bed where Kai lay stretched in sleep. "Kai?" She bent down and watched his calm face. Kai's eyebrows were slanted slightly, making it appear as if he were angry. "Kai?" Mao poked him in the cheek.

"No, Saya," Kai said softly in his sleep, stirring to the other side. "That's Riku's share..."

Mao stood up straight. "Geez… Talking in your sleep again. " She shook him on the arm. "Wake up."

"...you're such a glutton…" Kai continued.

"Kai." Mao was easily losing her patience. Her stomach was already grumbling with hunger. Everyone had probably started eating without her. "Kai." She shook him again, harder this time

"…glutton…"

"Okay, that's it." Mao stooped over. "So really don't want to wake up, huh, sleeping beauty? Well, now, your prince charming's here to save you from the oh-so-horrifying curse of sleep." She was about to kiss him on the lips.

"Sa…ya…?" Kai opened his eyes slowly. He stared directly into Mao's face. He could feel the soft breathing on his face, and could see the lips which were close to touching his own. "Mao…?"

"Kai?" Mao's eyes were closed first, but then opened when she heard Kai speak. She stopped.

They stared at each other for a short while, before Kai reacted.

"MAO!" he said angrily, backing away to the corner. His face was flushing a deep red. "What the hell were you trying to do?"  
"I was trying to wake you up. Duh," Mao said sarcastically, straightening up calmly. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No," Kai replied flatly. "Get out of my room."

"It's breakfast time, you nincompoop," Mao told him, her hands on her hips. "I've sacrificed my time for eating just to get your lazy butt off the bed."

"Gee, thanks…" Kai muttered. He looked at her. "Leave. I'll be following after I change."

Mao headed to the entrance. "Don't I just get even a little thanking?"

"Thank you," Kai grumbled while folding his blanket. "There. I said it. Now, leave."

"Moron," Mao said under her breath, before deciding to leave.

-ns-

"Well, now, aren't we all lively today?" Nathan said cheerfully as Diva lay idly on the sofa. Saya was sitting on the floor just in front of her sister, while reading an English book, trying to understand it.

"Uhm, yeah," Saya answered, though she wasn't even paying much attention.

"Mmm…" Diva said, leaning her cheek into a hand, while using the other hand to curl Saya's hair lazily.

"It's still quite early," Nathan stated. The two girls were not listening to him.

"Diva, could you read this?" Saya showed her the contents of the book.

"What?"

"Read this for me." Diva's eyes narrowed on the sentence Saya was pointing at with her finger.

"'Humans are delicious'," she said facilely, leaning back into the sofa.

"Hmm…" Saya stared at her in disappointment.

Diva was staring at the ceiling, but then her eyes turned to look down at her. "What now?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly not at all interested.

"Forget it." Saya turned to reading her book.

-ns-

Kai walked down the brightly-lit hallway. Changing did take longer than usual, not that it took him four hours to change. But he just didn't feel like going out yet, so he decided to remain inside. Fortunately Mao didn't come to check on him.

Unlike before, he was then able to tell where he was going. If ever he did get lost, the oh-so-respectful agents would help him whenever he came across one of them. Up ahead, he could see the entrance to the dining room.

When he had entered, there was no one to be seen. However, on one table was a tray of food. He headed to it and saw there was a note.

It said: "Kai, you better eat this or else I'd stuff you like a turkey. You sure took some time changing. I guess you'd be wearing fifty shirts under a jacket."

Kai sighed and sat down to eat. _This just isn't my day_, he thought as he chewed on his food.

-ns-

It was late in the afternoon, when Nathan had Saya and Diva have their bath. After the two girls dressed into wonderful dresses, Amshel had arrived, together with James. The four Chevaliers had escorted the twins to Covent Garden, where, inside, were already some of the spectators, all dressed as well in their fancy outfits.

"We have quite a number of them today," Amshel said grimly.

"Yes, quite," Nathan agreed. He turned to watch Diva sitting impatiently in a cushioned chair, with Saya behind her trying to entertain her though she was obviously losing; and James and Solomon nearby.

"It'll just take a few more minutes before you can sing, Diva," Saya assured.  
"Thirty minutes is too long," Diva snapped. "You consider that few?"

"Well, I am excited to watch you sing and I really look forward to it," Saya admitted. "And besides, we'd get to it sooner or later, right?"

"Easy for you to say," Diva muttered.

-ns-

"So you really came," Solomon said, after watching how the two siblings got along. He was used to seeing them in such childish games, and he was sure the Chevalier beside him was used to the situation as well.

"Of course I did," James replied.

"How are 'they', by the way?"

"They're perfect for weapons."

"I hear you had met with the American President a few days ago, am I correct?"

James glanced at him curiously and folded his arms. "You have sharp ears," he observed. "Amshel and I tested them and they liked it."

"I look forward to seeing how they are carried out," Solomon said with a smile.

"That would have to wait," James said.

-ns-

"So what are we to do after the concert?" Nathan asked.

"Ask our Queen," Amshel replied simply.

"The concert as a whole," Nathan clarified.

"We shall stay a few days, then perhaps head to USA," Amshel answered.

"Aren't we being tracked down?"

"Let them," Amshel said. "Let's see if those foolish hounds would still to keep track of our scent." A small grin quirked at the corner of his mouth.

-ns-

Joel had been staying in his office for almost the whole day. _Kai didn't even join us for breakfast_, he thought to himself. He stood up from his seat and looked out the window. There was nothing to see for it was already dark. He glanced at the grandfather clock at the corner. Right at that moment, it rang a deep, dull sound. It was seven o'clock by then. Then the ringing ended and faded back into silence.

The young man sighed wearily and sat himself once again in his seat. He was too agitated to think of anything else but the concert which was taking place in the city of London. He was also rather weary for having to sit all day long in his chair. He stood up again and headed for the bookshelf. Just as he was about to pull out Joel's Diary, a ring from his cell phone in his pocket stopped him and he quickly pulled the device out and answered the call.

"What is the situation there?" he asked.

"Sir, most of the guests have arrived and the show's about to begin," a voice replied from the other line.

"Where are the others?" Joel asked.

"I had Stanley and Will enter to watch the whole thing."

"Good," Joel said. "Observe them and see what happens once the show is done, and try to track their location."

"Of course, Director."

With that, Joel thanked the agent and ended the call.

He held the cell phone tightly in his hand and stared at the floor.

-ns-

The lights were bright from the Opera House. The agent placed the cell phone in his pocket and fixed the device in his ear. He sighed and watched the large building from a distance, his car beside him.

"He sounded rather nervous," he told his companion.

"That's not surprising," his companion replied.

Suddenly, there was a loud applause from the building, indicating the start of the show.

"So it has begun, eh?" the agent said as he watched the building with a frown.

"Yeah…" his companion agreed.

-ns-

All eyes were fixed on the girl with the pale skin and the long dark hair. As she sang, they could not help but admire her voice and feel that creeping loneliness. Her voice resounded throughout the wide room. The musical instruments which were played in the background complimented the young girl's voice and somehow intensified her song.

"Wonderful," Nathan murmured as he listened from the backstage. The rest of the Chevaliers closed their eyes to listen the song of despair. Saya felt her body relax and she closed her eyes as well to take hold of the feeling of nostalgia.

The people watched and listened in admiration, silenced into awe and wonder. Who was the girl before them? Who was she that stood on that wide, lonely stage with but the music from the background and the sound of her own voice? She was like an angel, with the lights centered only on her.

The young man with the long hair smirked as he stood from the very back near the entrance. He, too, was enchanted by the voice and he couldn't help but grin in excitement. It did bring back memories. Bloody, wonderful memories. No one knew he was there. No one knew he was there to watch the performance. And he was glad that no one knew because he wanted it to be a surprise. He stroked the ribbon which tied his hair neatly and arranged the bowtie on his collar. He was gone for only a few days, but now he was back.

"Such wonderful music, Diva…" he said in a low tone, a manic grin on his face.

-ns-

"The music ended, and so did the song. There were a few moments of silence, for everyone who was listening thought they were still in the dream. Then, the realization dawned upon them, and quickly regaining themselves, they gave a long, happy applause to the girl standing on the stage.

"She's wonderful, simply wonderful!" a woman cried.

Diva smirked at the happy humans before her. The lights faded and the stage darkened. When the lights from the ceiling above returned, she was gone.

-ns

"That was great, Diva!" Saya exclaimed to the twin as she approached her. Without thinking, she hugged her in a tight embrace. The younger twin was stiff with irritation, but allowed Saya to embrace her anyway.

"Marvelous, my dear!" Nathan said while clapping his hands in delight. "Do you hear those praises and applauses out there? The humans have fallen for your voice."

"Yes," Diva agreed with a smile. How amusing. Not only was she able to enchant her lowly Chevaliers and her dearest sister, she too was able to place the humans under the same effect. "My meals are praising me," she stated, pushing back her hair with a smile. "Maybe this could be one way of catching them. Perhaps I could sing to them to lure them out for a snack." She rubbed stomach and grinned.

"Would you like to have one of them for your meal?" Amshel asked dutifully.

Diva laughed. It was funny. Her faithful little Chevalier actually took her joke much too seriously. Saya just smiled.

"Well," Diva began, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I do feel like I want a snack right now. After all, I sang to them and it was tiring."

"Of course," Amshel lowered his head and glanced back at Saya. "Would you be having one for yourself as well, my Queen?"

"Oh, no," Saya declined quickly. "I'm still quite full, you see."

Diva smirked. "I won't be able to finish one human to myself, so perhaps I'll let onee-chan have the rest."

-ns-

David and Kai were called to Joel's office. Though Kai wasn't in the mood, he knew that this evening marked the first performance of Diva. David had the same thought in his mind. The two men were seated just before the office table of the young Director, and had exchanged only a few words, while waiting. An hour had passed in the room.

Just then, Joel had received a call. The man answered it quickly.

"Yes," he said to the man from the other line. "How was it?"

"Nothing peculiar has happened as we had been expecting, Director," the agent said.

"There were no suspicious events or the like?"

"No, sir."

"Well, what happened after the show?"

"They remained for an hour or so before leaving," the agent answered. "And the limousine which they rode had the same plate number as the limousine which we have been observing for the past few days."

"I see. Did you follow it?"

"We were unable to, Director. Please forgive us."

"That's fine." Joel looked back at the two men sitting uncomfortably before him. He placed his hand into his pocket. "Have you seen Saya? Was she nearby?"

"Stanley and Will have told me that it was only Diva who had appeared, her being the performer. Though Saya may have been there, she had not shown herself. I doubt that they are aware of our presence, sir."

"Then please continue to observe them and give reports if there is anything suspicious from their activities. We shall be arriving there at dawn. Inform the rest and we shall have a meeting soon after our arrival at the port."

"Of course, Director," the agent said dutifully.

"I shall be seeing you tomorrow then." At that, he ended the call. A few minutes passed in silence.

"Well?" Kai suddenly said. "Have they seen Saya?"

"No," Joel answered. "Perhaps she was there, but she wasn't seen."

"Director, what are we to do once we arrive in the port of London tomorrow?" David asked.

"I have called for a meeting, and we shall have to discuss a plan." Joel sat into his seat. "They were unable to follow the limousine Saya and Diva were in, and so, even up to now, we know nothing of where they are temporarily staying. So the only time where we could depend on to retrieve Saya is on one of the days of Diva's performance."

"What happens once we get to London?" Kai inquired.

"We prepare," Joel answered simply.

"That's simple..." Kai said under his breath.

-ns-

On the way back to the mansion, exhaustion had lured Diva to sleep. And as usual, she was leaning on Saya's shoulder; a thing that the elder twin had found out was the favorite spot that her sibling wanted to rest on whenever she was sleepy. And rather used to the weight of her sibling, she didn't mind. In fact, she had hardly noticed that Diva had fallen asleep on her shoulder for she was far too busy marveling at the night lights of the city. Saya felt something wet on her shoulder, but didn't pay any attention to it.

"It's about to drip if you don't decide to wipe it off, Saya," a calm voice broke through her thoughts. She looked at Solomon, who smiled and pointed at her shoulder. When Saya's gaze fell at her shoulder, she saw that the younger twin was already drooling in her sleep. Her lips were partly open and saliva had trickled down it until it reached her shoulder, and still, it was slightly moving down the length of her arm.

"Not again," Saya said with a smile.

"Here. I think you'll need this," Solomon held out a handkerchief which he had taken from his breast pocket. Saya took it and wiped the drool on her arm.

"You're so helpless, you know that?" she murmured into Diva's ear. "I bet this will get you comfortable." She took the sleeping twin and let her rest on her chest. Diva mumbled something and buried her face into Saya's bosom.

Amshel, who had been watching the siblings, eyed Saya rather strangely. Saya may have sensed this, as she appeared uncomfortable, but had forced herself to ignore it, whatever it was.

-ns-

Arriving finally in the mansion, the sleeping twin was carried away to her room by Solomon. Amshel and James had quickly turned to one room and Saya had guessed that the two Chevaliers were about to talk about business again—a thing she found most boring. Nathan, as easygoing as he always was, exchanged a few words with her, about having a good night's sleep or something like that, before he headed to the room filled with books which had fascinated him for the past few days.

Later, the young blond man came back downstairs and looked for Saya. She had not gone with him, he was sure of that. He headed to the room where the fireplace was and saw the elder twin reaching out for one of the sabers with one hand while she stood on a seat. He quickly hid back and waited outside.

_So that was what she was up to_, he thought. For the past few days, he had noticed that Saya didn't go to bed as early as she did before. He would sometimes find her in the room staring at the fire, or sometimes at the twin blades hung just above the hearth. She had also been a bit careful with her activities in the mansion, and he had accidentally startled her once or twice without meaning to. It was obvious that she was hiding something for the past few days. But now that he knew, what was the proper thing to do?

He was thinking about this matter when Saya suddenly stepped out, with the blade in her hand. The Queen was, of course, startled for she had not expected him to see her; Solomon too was unable to give a proper reaction.

"S-Solomon," Saya stammered, holding the saber behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I was about to make a fire in the hearth," Solomon lied. Well, it was half a lie. He was somehow planning to build a fire. "What do you have in your hand?" he asked.

"Nothing," Saya said hastily, the blade behind her. But it was useless trying to hide it.

"Saya, where did you get that from?" He already knew the answer, but he had to hear her admit it.

"I…" Saya hesitated, then sighed and showed him the saber. "I got it from one of the swords hung above the fireplace."

"Tell me, Saya," Solomon began calmly. "Was this the reason why you always slept late?"

"Well, no, I just…" Saya was incapable of lying. She knew it was useless. "Yes," she admitted finally. "Yes, this was the reason why I came in late." Before Solomon could speak, she said quickly, "Please don't get mad! I just only…I wanted to enhance my skill, that's all. I wanted to become stronger."

"And why's that?" Solomon asked mildly, his expression showing no sign of anger or such. "We're all here to protect you. I'm here and you know that there's nothing in this world that could harm you as long as I'm with you."

Saya was quite surprised by his choice of words, as it somehow sent her a strange feeling. "I…I don't want to be a burden," she said, tightening her hold on the handle of the sword. "I have to learn to protect myself and not have to always depend on all of you…" she paused. "And I want to…protect Diva from harm as well. I want to grow stronger for her sake." This, at least, was not really a lie. She did desire to protect Diva. She wasn't sure who she should protect her from, but that was nothing for her to consider.

Solomon, sensing her earnestness, sighed. "Goodness, Saya…"

"Please don't tell anyone, especially Diva. She'll kill me if she found out!"

"No doubt she would," Solomon agreed. "Well, it wouldn't hurt if you'd continue this…" Saya gave a sigh of relief. "But," he said, with a bit of austerity, "since I am Diva's Chevalier, I do have to take responsibility over what you are doing. And since there's no one else that knows of this—because you want it a secret—then allow me to at least make sure everything goes well without you getting yourself hurt."

Saya was relieved. Not only was she not chided for what she was doing, she was going to be watched over—by Solomon, of all the people. She was sure that if it was Nathan, he'd make a great unnecessary deal out of it. James would tell Amshel or Diva immediately. And if it were either Diva herself or Amshel who knew… She didn't want to imagine. She was just glad that Solomon had dealt with her calmly, as he always did.

-ns-

Saya had showed Solomon the spot where she trained every night. Solomon nodded and smiled. "So," he began.

Saya looked at him curiously.

"You claimed that you've been doing quite fine on your own. At least," he held out his hand, "let me test you to see how far you've gone."

Saya stared at him for a moment. "You want…to see how I've been doing?" she said, trying to clear things out. She was sure it was just a joke.

"Yes," Solomon said with a smile. "Please do, my Queen. Let me have the honor of training you."

Saya was not sure on what she'd say. Solomon training her in swordplay? That was rather too much! But the inviting smile of the young man before her, and the hand which was gracefully held out, told her everything would be okay.

"Alright," she answered and Solomon quickly morphed his hand into a blue blade. It was intimidating in appearance, and she could remember the first time she battled him in Bordeaux. He had easily evaded her attacks, and hardly showed any sign of exhaustion while she had been panting and sweating profusely. Was that how it would turn out? Would she be able to fight him off as a worthy opponent?

Saya was unsure how it would all unfold, but otherwise just held out her sword to him. "I'm ready," she told him.

The two stood motionless for a moment, until Saya made the first move and headed for him. Solomon easily evaded it, but was startled when Saya shifted the position of her saber and tried to jab him with it. He blocked it just in time. He released his blade from hers and quickly swung his weapon at her. Saya blocked it and slid her blade across his and then slashed it at him. A small spark ensued when both swords met forcefully.

"You're quite impressive," Solomon remarked with a smile. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"You're not so bad yourself," Saya returned.

-ns-

_Not only had her swings grown stronger, she can also quickly recover from my attack_, Solomon thought. He was having a slight difficulty with Saya, a thing which surprised him. He could not deny the fact that Saya was no different from a weakling human in the past. But now, he could see how she had changed. Even she had regained the speed meant for fighting. She was capable of moving very quickly with inhuman speed, a sign of her growing strength as a Queen. And he had to admit that even he was getting tired.

The two had been fighting for what seemed to be two hours or so. And so far, Saya, though unable to land her blade at him, was still capable of tiring him. And a few moments ago, Solomon recalled the moment when she almost got him in the cheek. Fortunately, he was able to block it before it could create a cut across his skin. But he wasn't the only one who was tired. Saya was beginning to show sings of exhaustion. In fact, she was sweating more than he was, and was panting a swell, trying to catch her breath. These were still signs of her human weakness, a thing she should work on.

"Alright, I admit defeat," Solomon avowed, morphing his blade back into a hand.

"What?" Saya said in surprise. "But I didn't even lay a single cut on you."

Solomon chuckled. "I might not be able to escape in one piece if this keeps up, not when you're this strong." Saya was stunned by his words. "Yes, Saya," he told her. "You have grown stronger; perhaps you have grown much stronger than me." He knelt on one knee and lowered his head. "And as but a Chevalier, I acknowledge your strength and your authority as Queen. You have dominated me and I shall acknowledge that." He looked up at her with a smile and caught her hand.

"Solomon…"

"Come," Solomon said. "I tired you too much, and you need to bathe and get some sleep." He proffered his hand to her and Saya tentatively reached out to his offer. "My Queen needs to sleep beside her sister, my other Queen. She shall be lonely tonight if you don't accompany her this minute." Saya looked up at him curiously, but was unable to say anything.

-ns-

She felt comfortable under the bed sheets. And the sleeping form beside her provided enough warmth to keep the seeping chill of the late hours of darkness away. Looking up to stare at ceiling, she could not help but recall the scene when Solomon knelt before her.

"_And as but a Chevalier, I acknowledge your strength and your authority as Queen. You have dominated me and I shall acknowledge that."_

There was something else, something which she was unable to comprehend in his words. What was that hidden? And why did Solomon feel quite different? She was used to his gentleman-like treatment toward her and his chivalric acts. But he felt strange that moment and she was left wondering.

_Why am I thinking about this again? _Saya asked herself. She was not sure. Why was she thinking about Solomon that hour? She still had to sleep and get ready for tomorrow. Her cheeks blushed pink and before she could think of a proper, satisfying answer, she fell into the clutches of sleep…

…and forgot to turn off the lampshade beside her.

* * *

_Even if some are fed up with reading this, I guess there still are those other people who might like what I'm writing, right?_

_I'll be optimistic. Good cheer! Good day. And happiness._

_...this sucks..._

_You're reviews, please! And I ask this with a beaming, pleading, earnest, and desperate smile._

_Thank you!  
_


	23. Chapter 20: Unveiled

_So even my story sucks (I personally think it does), you still give an effort on reviewing. Thanks a whole lot! I appreciate it, and it motivated me to continue even when I kind of lost interest in my own work. But since you aren't tried of it [yet], then I guess I won't tire from writing more chapters._

_So, please, I graciously ask you to read this chapter which took me five or so freakin' days to make. And I hope, I just hope, that you will enjoy it._

_

* * *

_

Chapter XX

Unveiled

Of all the things he hated to do, he hated to wait. It was strange, and not to mention annoying that this was what the people of the Red Shield were fond of making him do. He laid himself on the sofa and held up his wrist to check the time on his watch. _It's 8:34_, he thought with a sigh. _Where are they?_

He was sure Diva's performance started at 7:00. And he guessed that her singing wouldn't take so long, or would consume an hour.

He had nothing else to do. He could wait, lie on the couch and just…think. What was there to think about? He was in a room which was exceptionally wide. The kitchen was impressive…with a nice large counter where Lewis could cook his tasty meals and the sink which could hold a whole bunch of dirty plates. And there were other stuff for cooking, as well. The cupboards were filled with all sorts of food, cereal was one of them. And the fridge…it was also filled with treats: milk, cakes, chocolate, ice cream, pasta…and all those good, tasty food. For once, it did strike him as strange as to why the refrigerator was filled with such treats. But what was there to care about? Right then, he felt thirsty and at once stood up to quench his thirst.

What else was there to know? He opened the fridge and cold air met with his face. He took out a can of soda for himself and went back to the living room where he sat himself leisurely on. Basically, the room that he was in was just like any typical home. It had a cozy living room with a few other doors at several corners, leading to each one of their own rooms. There was the nice kitchen and dining room for the meals, the comfortable bathroom where he could sink himself in a nice, warm tub of hot water…and that was all there was to it—only there were about twenty-three stories from the ground and there was the wide glass that revealed the city lights, which sparkled like stars against the dark sky.

Now, then, why was he alone? Simple: David, Lewis and Joel had left him here to "watch over" the place; Okamura was recollecting some data in the Headquarters, where Julia was staying for the meantime. Mao had decided to do a little "shopping" and would be back, probably after an hour or so.

Wait. There was still Saya's faithful servant, Haji. Where was he anyway? He wouldn't care any less. The Chevalier wasn't given any tickets for the show, nor was he invited by Joel to come. Anyhow, he would just be somewhere in the city, perhaps high on the top of the building…or somewhere else. He'd be back sooner or later.

Kai squeezed the can in his hand and burped. It was so boring. Maybe he could make use of the television and see what's on.

-ns-

"Is there anything else that you want, Diva?" Amshel asked.

"No," Diva replied, dropping the now dead body of a guest. "I want to go home."

"Of course," Amshel replied dutifully. "If that is what you wish."

And so, the group headed out to the limousine, which was then waiting for them, James as the driver.

-ns-

"So they do stay long after the performance," Joel said as he sat at the back seat of the car. The car was parked a distance from the entrance to Covent Garden, which, they were sure, was already empty of guests. Behind the vehicle was yet another car where the other agents were riding in. They had been waiting for an hour or so, and it may have seemed that everyone was getting quite impatient

"What are your plans, anyway, sir?" David asked. "Do you intend to follow them?"

"As I had said previously, we'll try to with all precautions," Joel answered.

"We are but a small group," David pointed out. "We have little chance of standing up against them, if they sense our presence and attack."

"I'd think they'd avoid a fight. After all, there still are two more days to follow for her concert. And we're not offensive tonight."

"And you merely want to search of their temporary 'hideout'?" David asked.

"Yes, hopefully. If not confirm their place, at least know the route they are taking."

"Would it still not be dangerous?"

"If danger would be on its way to us, then we shall back out. However, as the situation stands, I see no potential danger." Joel eyed him. "Something seems to be bothering you. You seem rather tensed today."

"I am not, sir."

"Your hesitation is strange," Joel said. "Does it bother you that they are not here?"

"Kai wouldn't be much of use today for, as you had said, we have no plans on attacking them. Haji may well catch their attention, so it was best that he stay out of this," David answered. "Their absence is not the cause of my trouble."

Joel smiled. "Is that so? Then I won't bother you anymore."

"You were not bothering me from the beginning, sir."

Lewis was listening to their conversation from the driver's seat, and all the while, his eyes were focused on the entrance of the opera house. Then he saw them and said, "There they are. They're leaving."

"They are?" Joel and David looked.

True enough, there was a limousine waiting at the bottom. A small group of people appeared and stepped down the stairs.

"There's Saya," Lewis said seriously.

"And Diva," David added.

They tried to make out their faces from the distance. They had identified Solomon Goldsmith, Amshel Goldsmith, and they saw yet another blond man, the man whom Kai had described previously, the one with the purple, chest-revealing suit. They saw the two sisters, Diva clinging to Saya as if the elder twin would disappear any moment. They already expected that the two would have an intimate relationship by then, however the sight still caught them by surprise and stunned them for a moment.

Solomon opened the door to the limousine for the twins, and Diva came in first, followed by Saya, himself, then Amshel. Nathan sat himself beside James at the front. When everyone got inside, the limo immediately drove off.

"We follow them," Joel said.

Lewis nodded and turned the engine on. David motioned to the other men in the car behind them with a wave of his hand, and they followed suit. Soon, they drove after the limousine at a short distance, making sure they were not appearing suspicious.

-ns-

"Would you like to sleep, Diva? It would take quite some time before we could arrive back in the mansion," Saya told her sibling.

"Do I look like a baby to you?" Diva returned.  
"…not that I was implying anything," Saya said mildly.

"I never said that you were making any implications either," Diva replied flatly.

"Alright, alright," Saya said with a sigh. "You don't want to sleep. Fine."

"You're being smart today," Diva remarked sarcastically.

"Am I?" Saya said, playing along with the younger twin. "I guess I am."

"I _hate _that," Diva continued.

"Who cares whether I'm being smart or not, anyway?"

"I do."

"How should I take that exactly?"

"Any way you wish to see it."

"And if I see it the way you don't want to see it, what will you do?"

"Easy," Diva replied with a smile. "I'll kill you."

It may have been a joke, but Saya found it otherwise. She took it as a sign to shut up, so she did.

"What's wrong, onee-chan?" Diva asked innocently. "Was it something I said?"

"I won't say anything," Saya said, looking out the window and refusing to meet with Diva's gaze.

"But you just did."

"I won't say anything on _that _matter."

"Why not?"

"Will I see the sun if ever I did?"

"It depends, really."

"The perhaps I should just keep quiet for you."

"Maybe you should."

"Then I'll keep quiet now."

"Okay."

A few minutes passed in silence.

"Say something," Diva said.

"I won't," Saya replied, leaning her face into her palm.

"I just made you."

"That's yours to blame."

"I was finding no fault in that."

"It seemed like you were."

"How can you say that?"

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

A strange smile suddenly quirked at the corner of Saya's lips. "You know what," she began, looking back at her sibling. "I rather you were asleep right now."

"Why?"

"It's nothing."

-ns-

"We're being followed," Solomon said, without looking back.

"Indeed," was Amshel's reply. His eyes were closed calmly.

"Should we let them?"

"No." Amshel's eyes opened, and there was a dangerous glint in them. "James, stop for a while."

James, hearing the command, immediately followed without saying anything.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked.

"Amshel?" Diva said curiously.

"What do you intend to do, nii-san?" Solomon asked.

"I want to let them know that it's useless trying to look so ridiculous on the road."

-ns-

"Director," Lewis said with a hint of worry. "They've stopped." Up ahead, they could see the lights at the limousine's rear, a bright glowing red in the darkness.

"What? They have?" Joel sat up to take a good look.

"They're aware of our presence, sir," David said grimly.

"What should we do?" Lewis asked.

"We'll see what action they'll take before taking ours," Joel said as he watched the vehicle intently.

-ns-

"Should I go out to put an end to them?" Solomon asked.

Saya looked back anxiously, and true enough, she saw a car, two actually, waiting at a distance, their headlights turned off. They may have been at a considerable distance and it was dark, but somehow, she was not sure of it though, she could see Lewis' face through the windshield. She couldn't say anything. They had followed her up to London, proof of their never-ending search for her.

"Leave them alone," Diva said nonchalantly. "I'm sleepy and I want to go back at once." For once, Saya was relieved by her sister's decision, however showed no sign of such.

"If that is what you wish," Amshel said dutifully. "James," he called and didn't need to say anymore for James quickly got the limousine moving on.

-ns-

"They're…leaving," Joel said in astonishment.

"As you had said previously, Director," David answered, "they do not desire to fight."

"Not when it's within the week of Diva's concert, that is," Lewis added with a sigh of relief.

"Shall we follow them?" David asked. Lewis and Joel were surprised for he had been showing hesitance a while earlier.

"No," Joel said as he sat back. "It's useless now that they know we've been following them. I think its best we take the chance they've given us. David, inform them."

"Of course." David got out and told the other agents who were in the other car behind them.

-ns-

Diva had not fallen asleep, as Saya had hoped, but instead stayed awake, making her speak things she never intended to say. And though having faced a rather serious situation previously, Solomon couldn't help but smile, at Saya's defeat to her sister.

"You drool on your pillow!" Saya said. "Ha! Take that!"

"I do not. It's called the 'unintentional spilling' of saliva," Diva corrected. "And besides, you wet your bed."

"I do not!" Saya said indignantly.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

As the sisters were having their argument, the rest of the Chevaliers, meanwhile, were just listening in silence.

"I thought you wet our bed last night," Diva said.

"That was three nights ago!" Saya snapped. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She blushed fiercely after realizing what she had said.

Diva burst into cruel laughter. "There, you see? You admitted it!"

"Goodness," Nathan sighed. "No wonder there were times when the beddings had to be changed." James gave a small hum, expressing something which could have been an opinion, however it was ignored.

Solomon sighed as well, not of disappointment. The sight of the two was just tiring. But he was still left smiling. Amshel, on the other hand, folded his arms and closed his eyes, still showing signs of his attentiveness.

-ns-

Arriving was just like before, only one thing was different: Diva was awake. She stayed with Saya in the room with the fireplace, and the two sat in silence for a few moments.

"What exactly are you waiting for, onee-chan?" Diva asked finally, noticing that Saya was showing no signs of sleepiness at all.

"Nothing," Saya answered, though her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Then let's go to bed together," Diva said, standing up from the couch and pulling Saya along. But Saya remained in her seat. Diva frowned at her.

"What?"

"You said that you're not waiting for anything."

"And I'm not sleepy," Saya added for her.

"I want to go to bed now," Diva said in a whining voice and at this, Saya was forced to comply with her wishes.

"Okay, okay," she said with a weary sigh, following after her sibling, who quickly lead her out of the room.

-ns-

Saya was leaning comfortably in a large pillow, with Diva right next to her. The moment she had laid herself amongst the soft sheets, she suddenly felt her muscles were weary. However, she still fought back the need to sleep, still desiring to have her sword practice that night. Of course she knew that Diva was not aware of it, and she made no plans to tell her either.

"Why don't you want to sleep yet, onee-chan?" Diva asked curiously when she had noticed that her twin seemed to have been quite restless.

"I'm not sleepy yet," Saya replied. Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

"Liar," Diva teased. "You look like you could sleep for weeks."

"Maybe, but not now."

"How come?"

"Just get some sleep," Saya said, deviating from the question. She sat up and pulled the blanket under Diva's chin, and fluffed her pillow for her. "It's you who has to get some sleep right now. You're the one who's been performing onstage, not me." Afterwards, she set herself back beside her and leaned on her side, facing her, and using her elbow for support and resting her head unto her hand.

Diva hid back her smile, and made herself comfortable under the covers, enjoying this new way of pampering. Certainly, she preferred Saya's care over Amshel's or any of her other Chevalier's. "I'm not comfortable yet," she lied.

"Well, what do you want me to do so you'd get comfortable?" Saya asked.

"Tell me a story."

"Story?" Saya repeated in surprise. "But you know that I'm not—"

"I won't sleep until you will," Diva cut in, and she was serious.

"Oh, all right," Saya said with a sigh. "What story do you want me to tell you?"

"Tell me a story with me and you in it."

"What? But that's…" her voice trailed off when the pair of blue eyes glinted in the darkness. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you a story with you and me in it. Just promise me that you'll sleep, alright?"

The head under the covers nodded slightly.

"Okay, here it goes." Saya looked at the ceiling, and tried to think of a quick plot. "Once upon a time…"

-ns-

It had been half an hour or so, when Saya ended her story. She didn't know how she came up with the setting, and she could hardly recall what she had narrated. While she had been telling her story, there were the constant fillers like the "uh" and "uhm", which she said so much that she thought she had lost track of what she had been previously saying. But Diva had fallen asleep, or at least she thought she did, and that was all that mattered. Now that the twin was not there to witness her secret, she could get on with the sword practice.

Saya slowly got up and quietly slipped away from the bed. After leaving her room, she went downstairs, to the fireplace, and was surprised to see Solomon standing before the hearth, which was burning brightly with red flames.

"So you still intend to continue, even when you know that I could tell the rest of the people with us," Solomon said without facing her.

"I know you wouldn't even try," Saya replied, "because I trust you."

"Is that so?" Solomon turned and smiled gently at her. "If that's the case, you'd still trust me with the honor of training you once more, wouldn't you?"

Saya didn't see anything wrong with what he had asked for and answered, "Of course."

-ns-

Standing at a short distance from her opponent, Saya readied her sword and watched as Solomon morphed his hand into a blue blade. Then a few moments had passed between before they headed for each other.

Her veins were pumping with excitement and adrenaline filled her body as she laid her blows on him, which Solomon blocked or evaded with slight difficulty. When it was he who was on offense, Saya was able to defend herself very well, even sometimes seizing a moment of countering his attack with unexpected speed. Things were starting to change, and Saya was getting even with him. It was no surprise; she was a Queen. She was Queen, who through extensive human influence; had grown weak.

Minutes stretched into hours as they continually fought, sometimes pausing a few minutes to catch their breaths, or recovering from an unforeseen attack. Saya wiped the sweat from her brow, and straightened, readying her sword for another attack. Sweat had rolled down Solomon's face, and Saya saw for the first time, his now more obvious sign of difficulty. She struggled to hide her triumphant smile, but Solomon had noticed it, and smiled as well.

"You have conquered me once again, my Queen," he said calmly, and changed his weapon back into a normal hand. He headed to her and placed a hand over his chest, as he lowered his head in respect. "I once again acknowledge your authority over me. You have proved yourself worthy of your title." And with that, he reached out, caught Saya's hand, and brought it close to his lips to place a gentle kiss on her appendage.

"Bravo," a thrilled voice applauded from out of nowhere, accompanied by a few clapping.

Saya spun her head around in surprise, searching for the origin from which the voice came from. Solomon's eyes darted dangerously from place to place.

"That was indeed a splendid performance," the voice continued enthusiastically, and from the darkness, Nathan stepped out. "Isn't that right, Diva?"

"It certainly was," another voice answered, and from the shadows, Diva appeared by his side. James and Amshel were there as well.

"Diva?" Saya said in horror. She couldn't believe it. Diva and the rest of the Chevaliers had discovered her secret, and on such short notice as well.

"You witnessed the whole scene?" Solomon questioned calmly, straightening himself and facing them as if there was nothing to be anxious about.

"Of course we did," Nathan answered casually. "Otherwise we wouldn't be able to enjoy the show." He turned to the blue-eyed twin. "What do you think of the performance? Was it nice?"

"I enjoyed it," Diva answered in a smile, her eyes gleaming with something Saya couldn't comprehend. "But at the same time, I despise it. I don't know if I should like it or if I should hate it." Saya cringed at her words, and tightened her grip on the saber she held.

"And why's that?" Nathan asked with interest.

"Because," Diva looked back at Saya, who averted her gaze quickly, "onee-chan had been unfair to me. She had hidden this as a secret, and you all know that I _hate _secrets, especially if they're not mine to keep." At this, Saya flinched inwardly. Diva had stressed her words with vague threat. Now that she was found out, what would happen to her? For those first few moments she was stricken with fear, and she never thought of why she was scared of the sibling whom she bathed and slept with everyday.

"What should we do, Diva?" Amshel asked, and Saya's tension intensified when she had heard his cold voice speak. The tone of his voice was emotionless, just as his expression was.

"Nii-san, I take all the blame to myself," Solomon said in an unfaltering voice, and he stood at once before Saya, as if he was guarding her from any attempted harm from Diva and the rest, which, Saya felt, they seem to plan to inflict on her. "Saya has nothing to do with this. It is my entire fault."

"Solomon…" Saya said softly, surprised and anxious at his words.

"I never gave you any permission to speak, Solomon," Diva replied flatly. Solomon was taken aback slightly, but stood still stood his ground.

"It was my fault," Saya said, and at this, everyone seemed to turn to her. She summed up all her courage before continuing: "I was the one who started this. I…" she bit her lip, "I decided to practice by myself a few nights ago. I tried to grow stronger—"

"You wanted to grow stronger so that you could beat me," Diva finished for her flatly.

"No, of course not!" Saya said quickly, stunned by her words. "That's not what I meant, Diva."

"Then why did you train by yourself, onee-chan?" her voice seemed closer then, and Saya realized that the younger twin was already standing before her, past Solomon, who was surprised.

"As I said earlier…" The words died in her mouth. She was too ashamed to face her sister directly in the eyes.

"You could have told me, onee-chan," Diva pointed out dryly. "That's not a reasonable excuse."

"I know it isn't," Saya said softly. "But you have to believe me."

"And if I don't?"

"Then do what you see is fit." Saya's eyes were downcast. "It's my fault anyway, so there's no use fighting back…"

A smile of amusement danced on Diva's lips for the fact that she had trained her sister into submission. "Forget it, then, onee-chan," she said finally. "I won't do anything to punish you. You're a good little girl for telling me the truth, and that's enough for me."

Saya looked at her in surprise. "You'll forgive me?"

"Of course I will."

"What?" James said in indignation. "You'll let it pass just like that, even when she's been hiding something dangerous from you?"

Diva glanced back at him. "Onee-chan would never betray me," she replied right back at him. Something flashed in her eyes which made James step back in what might have been fear.

"Diva…"

"C'mon," Diva ignored the blade Saya had been wielding. "Let's get back to bed."

"Oh, okay…" Saya obediently followed along beside her. "But I have to—"

"Let me return that for you," Nathan offered, taking the saber from Saya's hands.

"Thank you, Nathan," Saya said gratefully.

"It's my pleasure, my Queen," Nathan replied with a smile.

"Hurry up or I'll lock the room and leave you outside," Diva said impatiently, standing at a short distance away.

"Coming." Within moments, Saya was beside her, and together they walked back to the mansion, seeming as though they have forgotten what had occurred a few moments ago.

The Chevaliers watched the two Queens leave in silence.

"Hey, wait," they heard Saya say. "I thought you were asleep when I left you."

"I was," was Diva's reply. "Your story bored me to sleep. But I awoke when you left the bed without telling me."

"Sorry."

"There's no sense in apologizing."

"Oh. Alright, then."

Just as they entered the mansion, Saya asked, "So my story was boring?"

There was an amused laugh. "All I heard was 'uh's and 'uhm's," Diva replied.

Then the twin doors were closed and they could no longer hear their voices, nor hear any what they were conversing about.

Amshel was quiet, while James was folding his arms, frustrated. Solomon was unable to say anything for a while. Nathan examined the saber in his hands, a smile dancing on his lips.

"My," he said, "this is a beautiful thing for a weapon."

* * *

_There are many reasons on why I delay in writing a single chapter. Lately, I've been so friggin' busy. So many stuff get in my way and I'll sum it all up in three things: one, the nincompoops around me; two, school; and three, my stupidity._

_But anyhow, I'd be looking forward to your reviews. I guess it would be too freaky if I'd say that I'm desperate enough to beg on my knees for your reviews...yeah, I guess it's a bit overboard._

_Well, whatever. I finished the chapter, I'm gonna make a new one tonight and that's all that matters._

_I'm not happy.  
_


	24. Chapter 21: Where Our Blades Meet

_Voila, a new chapter! Why should I be happy? I don't know, but hey, in any case, I want you to enjoy this one. Okay, I can't guarantee it'll be a great chapter 'cause I did it in a dreadful hurry. I just kind of finished it last night and I had to check on the errors and all that._

_It was in a hurry...so there would still be some errors, I'm sure. But I guess a few misspelled or missing words wouldn't spoil the whole thing, right? _

_

* * *

_

`Chapter XXI

Where Our Blades Meet

"Everything, so far, has been a failure," Joel said with obvious disappointment. It was early morning, and the sun had not risen yet, so it was still quite dark inside the kitchen. The only light was from the small chandelier hanging above the dining table where Joel and David were conversing grimly. Lewis, meanwhile, was cooking omelet for breakfast, listening attentively while the two discussed matters between them.

"They're aware of our presence," David said.

"Yes, I know," Joel replied with a sigh. "I think it would be useless attending the concert tonight just to follow them. One wrong move might spell an end for us."

"Tonight and the preceding night are the last dates where Diva would show herself, along with Saya and the Chevaliers."

"I have no special ideas to come up with," the young director admitted. "Perhaps this day should be spent for a few planning."

"Which reminds me," Lewis joined in. "Have any of you seen Haji?"

"I don't recall seeing him last night," David answered.

"We'll need him, won't we?"

"We will," Joel said.

"I'll have Kai look for him," David said.

"What was that?" a voice asked groggily, and all men turned to Kai, who was standing by the doorway. He had just woken up, and his eyes were still heavily-lidded, and his hair was messy. Kai scratched his head and watched them unsteadily. "What were you saying?" he asked.

"Haji has not shown himself to you, has he?" David inquired.

"No." Kai walked over to them and sat on one of the empty seats. "Why? You want me to go find him?"

"Yes," Joel answered for David. "He has to be present in our meeting later on."

"No problem," Kai said smugly. "I'll search for the Schiff as well, if you want."

The men glanced at each other.

"I hope they would show up," Joel said. "Lately, there was no contact between us and them."

"Haji can do that for you," Kai said. "He was able to talk to them from time to time."

"And he's been telling you?" Joel asked.

"Sort of."

"Why didn't you inform any of us?" David asked.

"They didn't say much," Kai said. "They don't talk as much as they did…before…" For some uncertain reason, he remembered the young Schiff who had passed away recently, and became quiet.

"Now, now," Lewis said, placing a platter containing the large, steaming hot omelet on the table before all of them. "No one should frown when delicious food is set before them."

Kai merely nodded and stared at the omelet. His stomach grumbled hungrily.

-ns-

After breakfast, Kai headed outside the building to do as Joel had asked. Taking the elevator took some time, as he had been twenty-three stories above the ground.

Later, he was walking among the crowd of people along the sidewalks, easygoing in his gait. He was feeling so relaxed today, and he didn't even know why. He left Joel and the rest to discuss the plans for the day and be problematic over the matters involved. He was glad he was didn't have to worry about it like they do.

At least today…today he was finally given a task to do, instead of waiting for the whole day for nothing at all.

_Today, I look for Haji _and _the Schiff_, he thought confidently. He forgot to consider that London was a large, wide city.

-ns-

"Okay, now you're it!" Diva said while giggling wildly. Both she and Saya were outside in the grass, at the side near the high walls which enclosed the whole area. This particular spot had enough tall tress to provide shade.

"You know," Saya began while rubbing her shoulder, "a small tap on the shoulder was enough. You didn't really have to shove me so hard."

"Sorry," Diva drawled innocently, though her eyes were gleaming with mischief.

"Yeah, well, it's alright," Saya grumbled, though the pain still didn't subside. She held her shoulder and winced. "It hurts…"

"Did I really push you that hard?" Diva asked, seeming as though it was Saya's fault.

Saya merely nodded and stood there, staring at the grass.

"Let me see," Diva said and approached her, and was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You're it," Saya said, and quickly ran away, leaving Diva to watch her escape.

"Mmm…" Diva brushed the part where Saya had held her. "How lame," she told herself. _Oh well. Saya-oneechan is always lame._

-ns-

Walking...

He had been walking throughout the hot day, walking without seeing those he was seeking, walking and sometimes forgetting he had a task to fulfill.

Ignoring all those around him, his eyes were fixed straight ahead. Where was he? He didn't stop to consider the question. He just continued to walk, to think, to move his feet and to look straight ahead. Other things were just distractions.

How dutiful.

He was far from the point from where had first started searching. That is, in front of the building where Joel and all the rest were staying.

_Crap…crap…crap…_

That was the only word he was saying in his head. He wanted to think of something sensible. Maybe he was losing his sanity. To start of, he was sure the hour left was also the hour Joel and the rest had headed of to another place where the rest of the agents were staying, probably in the headquarters.

Okay, that was good enough.

Reality check: Kai stopped for a moment and pinched himself. _Nope, ain't delusional_, he thought. He was practically dragging his feet by then. His body felt so heavy. He overslept last night and he was sure this was the result of too much rest. Sleepy, or tired, he wasn't sure which was which. Maybe he was feeling both.

Then his stomach grumbled. Now he was hungry. When he was hungry, he couldn't concentrate properly. So what did Kai do? Simple: he went into the nearest restaurant.

-ns-

"Diva, it's nap time," Nathan called from the head of the stairs. "Diva, where are you?"

Saya climbed up the steps and walked past him, groaning. She was covered in dirt, and her face was mostly smeared with it. Her hair had some leaves and twigs, and the rest of her clothes were in a mess.

"Goodness, what happened to you, dear?" Nathan asked in surprise.

Saya faced him, obviously irritated. "She shoved me into a bush; she 'accidentally' pushed me to the ground where I fell face-first, and let's just imagine that the rest were not any worse," she replied in a growl.

Nathan chuckled. "My, my. Why don't you have your bath?"

"Believe me, I _will_," Saya assured.

The blond man sighed and watched with weary fondness as Saya went to her room, dragging her feet behind her.

As soon as the door to the bedroom closed, there was a giggle, and Nathan turned to see Diva beside him, watching the corridor where Saya had passed into.

"Where have you been, darling?" he asked.

"Playing," Diva chirped.

"With Saya?"

"Of course." Diva smiled cheerfully. "We had a fun game."

"Though it seemed like your sister did not enjoy the game," Nathan said.

"That's because I was playing the fun part and she was not."

"Playing it on her, you mean," Nathan clarified, smiling.

"You could say it that way." Diva skipped to her room.

"Will you be having your nap?" Nathan asked.

"No; I'll help onee-chan take her bath."

"Make sure you don't end up playing another game, Diva," Nathan reminded.

"I won't," came a sweet reply. Then there was the creak of the door as it was opened, and then the slam when it was shut tight.

"I doubt that," Nathan said. "Oh well."

-ns-

He was then taking a leisure stroll down in the park, his stomach full after the hearty meal he had in the restaurant he had eaten in. Now he was contented, and he felt better than a few hours earlier. He decided to walk around in this relaxed place, now somehow forgetting he had a task to do. It must have been around half an hour past five by then.

The exceptionally large and wide pond was a little way ahead, and he planned to go there to see the swans which stayed there. He had bought a small bag of bread and had planned to feed them, proof that he had really forgotten he was looking for certain people. But just as he turned to the place, music floated in the air.

Kai froze and listened. Cello. Someone was playing the cello. In this place, he knew of only one person who'd be playing the cello in the late afternoon.

He followed the origin from which the cello came from and saw a crowd of people surrounding something…or someone rather. The music came from there, and Kai immediately made his way through the crowd.

As Kai had expected, Haji was right in the middle, playing on his cello, creating beautiful music, to the delight of his spectators. Everyone listened, until the Chevalier decided to stop and ended his music gracefully. When he was done, his spectators clapped, and threw money into his opened, welcoming case. Then everyone departed immediately, as if nothing had happened at all.

"So this is how you earn your livelihood, eh?" Kai asked as Haji kept his cello carefully.

"No," Haji answered as he closed the lid. "I play because I enjoy it." His monotonous tone didn't seem to match with his answer.

"Well, either way, you still earned money," Kai pointed out. He looked around him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to watch the sky from here."

"Really?" Kai said in surprise. The Chevalier's expression remained blank at his reaction. "But don't you ever think of ever coming back with us?"

"I am not needed."

"Well, yeah, for the past few days," Kai admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But now, they really need you. They have a meeting tonight, you see."

"Today is Diva's fourth day of performance," Haji suddenly said.

"I know," Kai said, vaguely understanding the Chevalier's growing concern. "That's why we need you to be there because it's important." He remembered something. "Which reminds me, have you seen Moses and the rest of the Schiff?"

"They're right behind you," Haji answered stoically.

"Good joke," Kai said, giving a short laugh.

"Kai!" there was a sudden grab on Kai's shoulder, which startled him.

"Lulu?" Kai spun around to see the young, sprightly girl looking up at him. "How'd you get here so quickly? I didn't even see you!"

"Of course you couldn't see us," a voice joined in, and Kai saw Karman, with Moses and Gudrif.

"It was daytime," Moses said.

"We followed your scent!" Lulu chirped.

"Really? I guess it was good you did," Kai said, happy to have found everyone at once.

"We're sorry we haven't had direct contact with you, Kai," Moses apologized.

"It's alright. I don't mind. However, I think I need you to come along with me. Joel wants all of us to be present in the meeting later."

"I never thought we'd even be important enough to be part of such discussions," Karman said with a huff.

"Karman, don't be mean," Lulu snapped at him.

"I'm not," Karman answered right back at her.

"Yes you are," Lulu argued.

"No I'm not," Karman asserted.

"Break it, you two," Gudrif said mildly, stopping the fight.

"Anyway," Kai continued, "will you be coming?"

"Of course. Shall we be coming right now?" Moses said.

"Why not?"

Moses motioned the rest to follow them as they started walking. Haji slung the strap of his case over his shoulder and followed behind them.

"Why're we walking when we could travel faster anyway?" Karman asked impatiently. He saw Kai ahead, conversing with Moses. "Oh. Right. A human."

Lulu nudged him with her elbow.

"What now?" Karman said irritably.

"I think it's best that you guys go ahead without me," Kai finally said.

"Why? I find nothing wrong with walking," Moses said. "Besides, it's night already, so there's no problem."

"It's not that," Kai said. "It's just…" he looked at everyone with him. "Our group is a bit too suspicious, especially since you're wearing long coats with hoods." He simpered, rubbing the back of is neck. "They might mistake us for criminals, or something."

"I understand," Moses said with a nod, and looked down at his clothes. "I think you're right. Humans may think us for someone we're not."

"Finally," Karman said sarcastically, and received a small hit from Lulu not soon afterwards. "What?"

Lulu refused to speak and before Karman could demand an answer, Gudrif calmly intervened again.

"Well, we'll just see you there then," Moses said.

"Yeah," Kai answered casually.

The head of the Schiff nodded to him, and disappeared in a blue blur. The rest of his companions followed suit, leaving Haji and Kai alone.

"Aren't you coming along with them?"

"They regard me as a Chevalier, and not one of them," Haji answered plainly. "And I wish to enjoy the view from the ground."

"Okay. If you say so." Kai turned away and started walking, Haji following a short distance behind. "By the way," Kai faced the Chevalier again. "You plan to buy something with the money?"

-ns-

The hour in the opera house had gone as it always did, and the performance ended with a loud applause. Soon, everyone departed early, a guest was stolen away to serve as a refreshment for the blue-eyed Queen, and once again, the whole place was empty of its spectators. Everything was silent, and there were conversations among the small group that was left as they patiently waited for Diva to suck the girl dry.

An hour had passed before they decided to leave.

Not much had occurred throughout the ride, just idle chat and a few complains from Diva.

As soon as they arrived, everyone had gone to their respective places—Amshel with James in a particular room at one end, and Nathan to his own world of books in his room. Solomon built a fire in the fireplace, and in this room were Saya and Diva.

Saya sighed, and looked at the fire Solomon had just made. The bright flames wearied her; but somehow, even when she was tired, she still knew she couldn't sleep. It had been a few nights, and it was on this particular hour when she had first started swordplay by herself, and ever since then, had started practice at this time. But now, since Diva had discovered this secret of hers, she had somehow indirectly indicated that Saya was prohibited from continuing what she had begun.

She looked from the fire to the two sabers which hung neatly to the wall. It was so near, this was her time to practice, but…

"Does onee-chan wish to continue her sword practice?" Diva suddenly asked.

_Huh? _Saya turned to Diva, and saw that the younger twin had followed her gaze and was staring at the sabers with interest. "Pardon?"

"I said do you want to continue to practice?"

"What do you mean?" Saya was confused.

"It's a simple question, onee-chan," Diva stated impatiently. "Do you want to practice or not?"

_Practice? _Saya gave her a questioning look. "You mean sword practice?"

"That's what I just said."

"But…you said I'm not allowed to continue," Saya stated in confusion.

"I did not."

"Well—"

"Yes or no? I'll give you ten seconds," Diva cut in. "Ten, nine, eight—"

"Okay, okay," Saya answered quickly. "But, how will I have it?"

"What?"

"Since you find out and all that," Saya began diffidently, "how will my training go through? I mean, will it just be like before?"

"Of course," Diva answered, as if the answer was obvious. "What, you want to have it someplace else?"

"You know I didn't mean that."

"Setting that aside," Diva said quickly, "Solomon, take the swords down."

"As you wish," Solomon said dutifully. Within moments, he was able to take the sabers with him.

"Why did you take two?" Saya asked him. "You don't need one, since you have your own—"

"He won't be training you tonight, onee-chan," Diva intervened smoothly. "I will."

Saya stared at her, dumbfounded. "You…" she began slowly, as if trying to clarify things for herself, "…will train me?"

"Is there something wrong, onee-chan?" Diva returned.

"No," Saya answered quickly, sensing the twin's irritation. "No. There's nothing wrong. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Well, then, if we want to sleep early we might as well start early," Diva stated, and at once both Saya and Solomon complied with her wishes.

-ns-

"Diva," Solomon said in his calm voice as he handed one of the sabers to the blue-eyed Queen. Diva took it without a word of thanks. Solomon turned to Saya and handed the remaining saber to her.

"Thank you, Solomon," Saya said.

_Are you alright with this? _Solomon asked with concern.

_There's nothing we could do to change her mind_, Saya replied. _Don't worry; I'll be fine. Besides, I don't think the fight would be serious_, she assured him. However, somehow, even when she knew this was just training, facing her sister in close combat was…terrifying.

That was what her mind had said, and likewise it seemed like her body felt the same thing as well. Her hand was cold and shaking as she held her blade; it normally wasn't in such a nervous condition when she fought. Both mind and body were scared. But how could she be afraid of Diva?

_Diva is my sibling_, Saya assured herself firmly as both she and Diva stood at their places, a large gap between them. _Diva wouldn't hurt me for real. This is just a simple training. That's right. It's training._

Saya held her blade and positioned it before her readily. Diva did the same; however her graceful swing as she positioned it made Saya freeze with fear for a moment. Why was she reacting like this? Diva didn't look scary, she didn't seem like she would hurt her. Then why'd she feel like this battle was for real?

There were a few moments of silence as both sisters stood a distance from each other. Both were motionless in the gentle breeze as it blew by.

_This is just training._

As the wind died away, both sisters made for each other.

Saya held out her blade just in time to defend herself from an attack. Diva's eyes gleamed eerily as she stepped back and easily evaded a blow from Saya's blade. She suddenly jabbed her sword at her and Saya was fast enough to deflect it and counter her attack. Before she could even deliver a blow at her, Diva was gone and had reappeared behind her, this time she was aiming for her neck.

Diva's speed shocked her. How could she be so fast? When she fought Solomon he was at difficulty with her. But with Diva? With Diva it was different.

Saya evaded attack, the blade inches from her neck. Stunned, she stepped back, and readied herself for another attack.

Diva pointed the blade at her. "What's wrong onee-chan?" she asked. "Can't keep up?"

-ns-

Dodging the attacks was difficult enough, but being provoked was another matter. Saya evaded the jabs, the swings and the thrusts, but with each evasion she received a bit of teasing.

Saya could barely keep up. She never thought that the fight would be this intense. _Wasn't this supposed to be training? _Diva should be teaching her how to improve, not fighting her. When she had battled with Solomon, the Chevalier would be considerate enough to correct her mistakes. But when she would make the wrong move with Diva, the younger twin would take advantage of the situation and would try to impale her.

This was training! What were they doing? She didn't want to take the fight seriously. She fought, but she mostly defended herself, for the fact that she didn't want to cause any harm to her sibling. But it was otherwise with Diva. Diva did not hesitate in the fight, and never feared to point her blade directly at Saya's face, or strike her with it.

And it seemed like, Saya noticed, that Diva was actually _enjoying _it. Enjoying? The absurdity of the thought! Practice. This was practice! This wasn't supposed to be the battle where they'd decapitate each other (by the way, Saya noticed that Diva was mostly aiming for her head). She was supposed to be taught how to fight, that was why it was called training!

But how could Saya voice her thoughts to Diva when the younger twin wouldn't even grant her a few moments of rest? She just kept attacking and attacking, and all Saya could do was defend herself ridiculously. If someone did the talking, it was Diva, who never went beyond sarcastic or provoking remarks. This was in fact starting to get rather irksome for the elder twin.

-ns-

Solomon watched the two fight. It had been an hour by then, and he was not sure if Saya would last any longer. He had observed that she was not able to defend herself much. Thankfully, their eyes were not glowing in battle, for he knew that if they did, it would usually involve the use of blood. And of blood were involved in the fight, it could spell instant death to one of them.

"Well, now, isn't this interesting?" came a voice beside him. Solomon glanced at his side and saw Nathan, who was holding a book in one hand.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Solomon asked anxiously. "It would be dangerous for them to continue."

"Don't worry. As long as their blood is not involved, nothing bad is going to happen," Nathan assured nonchalantly. "That is," he smiled slyly, "if they don't decided to use it yet."

-ns-

"What's wrong, onee-chan? You can't hit me?" Diva mocked, blocking Saya's blow effortlessly.

Saya said nothing in response, but merely readier herself for another attack. She didn't want to lose her composure right then and there. What good would it do? It wouldn't make her win, and plus, it'll only make Diva make a scorn out of her. But why did Diva wanted to hurt her, provoke her, and enrage her? That was not a thing Saya could dwell on right now; she was concentrating, but was wavering as well since the continuous mockery was distracting her.

During that time she had almost been caught at the shoulder, but fortunately was fast enough to block it. Sweat was trickling down her brow, the first sign of difficulty.

Diva had noticed it and she smiled to herself. She couldn't let her dear onee-chan tire so easily. She still wanted to have fun. It was too early, far too early to stop such a wonderful, exciting game. And they were just getting started, weren't they?

"I can't believe," she began, "that the humans have made you this weak, onee-chan." She paused. "Oh, wait. You _are _weak. Even before the humans adopted you as their own. Isn't that right?"

The wrong words, and yet the right ones, just enough to enrage the twin.

Right then and there, Saya lost it. What was that? The humans? How did the humans become a part of this?

"That's right," Diva continued, enjoying the flash of irritation in Saya's eyes. "That boy…Kai. He must have made you weak with his lame self. And perhaps even your oh-so-faithful Chevalier…what was his name again?" Diva thought for a few moments. "Oh that's right," she said pleasantly, finally remembering his name. "It was Haji, wasn't it? He must have made you such a spoiled brat, just feeding you with ridiculous human food. No wonder you're as weak as they are, onee-chan! _You_ are one of them!" Saya gritted her teeth in anger. "Why don't you start being like them, onee-chan? Let me think…" she thought for a few moments, noticing the growing hatred she was causing to the red-eyed Queen. "Maybe you could start by losing to me right now. Besides, you're weak so I won't ask you to be weak, since you really _are_ one!"

There were a few moments of silence. Solomon watched them anxiously. Even Nathan seemed to show growing concern for the two.

"You take those back," Saya released harshly through gritted teeth. Her shoulders were shaking then, tense with anger and pain.

This was just perfect. The wrong ingredients to the right recipe.

A sly smile danced on Diva's lips. "Make me."

-ns-

Cleary angered, Saya raised her sword and swung it forcefully at her. Diva easily blocked it, slid her blade and jabbed her in the side, which Saya blocked. The two stepped back for a moment and then attacked each other. A spark appeared as both blades met forcefully.

That was the last time she'd let her talk, Saya swore to herself. It was no longer the childish teasing. It wasn't the idle words which merely irked her. It was ridicule from a Queen. And that went so far so as to anger, no, _enrage_ her, kindling the inner hatred which had been kept away for so long.

She was capable of submitting herself under Diva's command. But mocking her? Saying that she was weak? That was a different matter. And it _did _infuriate her.

Slowly in the darkness, red eyes glowed. Eyes burning with hatred,

"Finally, onee-chan," Diva said with excitement. The moment had finally arrived. Her eyes glowed a bright blue. Merciless, bloodthirsty blue.

"This will be fun."

-ns-

Her intention of harming her sister had turned into reality, and now, she no longer hesitated to give a deadly blow. Likewise with Diva. The two exchanged powerful blows, and it was during this time that Saya received most of the casualties. A deep cut in the cheek, a gash along the back, or the arm…the wounds healed constantly, but now Saya was in a mess. Her clothes were quite tattered and torn, and at this sight, Diva was amused. Unlike her, she received few wounds, and most of them were not serious at all.

The two had been relying on instincts, and the battle raged on.

Solomon wished to intervene, but an arm extended and stopped him from taking even a single step. He was surprised to see Amshel standing just beside him. James was also there, and Solomon had not noticed their presence.

"We are in no position to stop them," Amshel said grimly. "It was their decision as Queens to fight and we, the Chevaliers, can only stand and watch how it all goes through."

-ns-

Getting hit no longer mattered. As long as she could deliver the blows on Diva, that satisfaction was enough. However, things had not gone as she hoped they would. She was slowly losing. More casualties, more cuts, more blood… Time stretched on and by each passing minute, Saya was losing her strength. Hours without intervention or rest had wearied her. The _clangs _continued to echo in the cool, night air.

The saber which seemed no lighter than a feather in Saya's hands was now weighing her shoulders down. Sweat bathed her, and she was losing her fighting instincts. Despite the time she spent in training, she was not even half as good as her younger sister. She was no match for her. Just looking at Diva, the elegant moves, the fight which she fought with poise, it all proved that she _was _weak.

But she didn't want to lose; she didn't want to be defeated by her sister. As a Queen, it was the worst thing that could happen to her. And she still had to make Diva take back her words…

Her arms ached, but she still ran for her sister. She raised her sword, swung it down, blocked an attack…then she veered to the right, thrust her sword forward, and drew it back just in time to deflect an unexpected strike. However, she was just too slow to recover from the previous attack and defend herself from the next one…

Saya froze and felt something cold and sharp against her skin. There was a giggle in the air, which sent a cold shiver run down her spine.

The younger twin looked up at her and smiled. The tip of her blade was close to Saya's throat. Saya remained frozen in place, unable to move for fear that it would result into something painful and perhaps bloody.

"I beat you in the game, onee-chan," Diva said disdainfully. Triumph and haughtiness never failed to fill her voice. Seeing Saya in such a state amused her. In fact, she _loved _seeing Saya like this, and missed seeing it. "Well?"

There was a dangerous glint in Saya's eyes. But the red glow in them had already faded, proving her passive state. Pride had still held her back from admitting her defeat. But was there to do? The blade was still pointed at her. The wrong words would mean a painful result. "I…" Saya bit her lip. "I yield…"

Diva smiled. It was obvious that she was still enjoying Saya's helplessness. After all, Diva reasoned to herself, you can't see onee-chan like this everyday.

"This proves that I am stronger than you and I'll _always _be," Diva stated flatly. "So, onee-chan, you know what you're facing if you dare go against me, right?" Her smile had faded. "Before you could even try to do that…" her voice lowered dangerously, "…I'll kill you."

Saya flinched inwardly, and Diva had seen the flash of fear in her eyes. Her smile returned. "You'll agree with whatever I say, right onee-chan?"

Saya was in no position to say otherwise. Coldly, she replied, "Of course, Diva."

Satisfied with her answer, the younger twin dropped the blade and turned away. "Nathan, I want to sleep now," she said, yawning.

"The fight must have wearied you," Nathan said, stepping forward from the rest of the Chevaliers.

"No; the game was not tiring at all," Diva said as she took Nathan by the arm and was led away. "I just had fun."

_Game? _Saya repeated in annoyance. _So it was just a game to you…_

-ns-

It was only then that Saya had noticed the rest of the Chevaliers. James had turned away rudely, while Amshel had given her a cold, blank stare. Somehow, Saya saw amusement flash in his eyes, but it quickly vanished before she could think if it was real or not.

Everyone had left her at once. Diva had forgotten her; the rest of the Chevaliers had left her here.

_So it was all just a game…_ Saya thought as she clenched her fists. Her shoulders shook. _It was a mere game where I was made a sport of. _Soon, tears of frustration flowed down her cheeks and she could do nothing else but cry.

Cry like the old Saya.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and raised her head to look at Solomon. The blond Chevalier gave a gentle smile.

"You don't have to cry," he said softly, placing a comforting arm around her. But Saya was unable to stop her tears, making the Chevalier sigh. Quietly, he led her back to the mansion.

* * *

_Though I've been kind of pessimistic for the past chapters, it seems like this chapter is duller than rest. The words have somehow lost their strength. _

_Please review!  
_


	25. Chapter 22: Standing InBetween Part I

_Guess what, I finally made a new chapter! After all those weeks (or was it days?) of making this chapter, I managed to finish it. I managed to finish it! Sweet Momma! I feel as if I've overcome some sort of obstacle and gosh am I _glad_ I could update!_

_So I guess one of you is happy? I hope so, for boy am _I _happy!_

* * *

Chapter XXII

Standing In-Between

Part I

It was taking too long.

Kai checked his watch. In the dim light from the streetlight, he could see that it was almost seven o'clock.

"They start at seven, don't they?" he asked impatiently.

"You would do good to be patient, Kai," David answered, glancing at his own timepiece.

_That wasn't what I wanted to hear, _Kai thought, staring at him flatly. _And look who's talking_, he added when he saw David check the time himself.

There were twenty-seven of them all in all. Seven of the cars they rode in were parked at different locations to prevent suspicion; however, they were still within a certain area where they were to wait. This was the final day of Diva's performance here in London, and they planned it exactly this evening.

Cars and other vehicles hardly passed through the area where they were in. Perhaps a car would drive down the street, but it would take hours or so before another car would show up. In this place, it was dark and gloomy, but the streetlights still provided some light. Not a window was lit in the buildings that stood there, which all the more made the streets bare of any soul.

-ns-

"Jeez," Okamura said while rubbing his nape, "Of all places, why here?"

"Would you rather stay with your little partner whom you left behind?" Lewis asked with a grin, leaning on the stirring wheel in front of him.

"Now that you mentioned it," Okamura said, folding his arms behind him and leaning back, "I guess I'd choose to come. Still though," he looked through the windshield at the young impatient man standing by the street pole, "this place stills gives me the creeps worse than what Mao could make."

Lewis shrugged.

-ns-

The curtains drew back, revealing a marvelous grand stage. But the stage merely complimented the slender figure standing in the middle. She was wearing a silvery-white dress, her hair glistening, spilling on her bare shoulders and down her back. Truly, her beauty had quickly captured the hearts of the young men present. Admiration shone in their eyes, ignoring their own fiancés who were sitting right next to them.

Seeing how she had easily entranced the foolish, young men amused her. For that, she would sing to them to lead their hearts astray. Like the sly mermaids who entranced fishermen by the sea, she would sing to capture their hearts for herself.

The music began to play in the background. She opened her mouth, took in a deep breath, and let out her mysterious voice and began to sing.

-ns-

Kai was tapping his foot impatiently. He checked his watch, then glanced at Haji, who was just beside him. All throughout, the Chevalier had been quiet. It was no surprise. He was always quiet to begin with.

"Hey," Kai began, but was puzzled when he saw that the Chevalier had stiffened in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Haji relaxed, and looked up at the moon. "It's begun."

Kai followed his gaze and shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked up. "Finally."

-ns-

The lights in the stage dimmed gradually until the front was dark. The curtains drew to a close, and not soon after a loud applause filled the whole place. Crude as it was, there were whistles, made by men who could not help themselves.

"I can have you," Diva sang softly to herself as she walked to the backstage, "but you _can't _have me." She giggled to herself at her own little song.

"I see you're enjoying yourself, Diva," Solomon remarked as she passed by, repeating her song.

"Of course I am," Diva answered. "Humans are so stupid. They think they can have anything for themselves."

"You must be famished, my dear," Nathan said as he stood up from a seat nearby. "After all, your last performance here in London is absolutely perfect."

"Yes, I am quite hungry," Diva answered.

"Would you like me to fetch you your dinner?" Amshel asked.

"Yes." Diva skipped cheerfully around the place. "And Amshel, get one of those men who made such an annoying noise."

"As you wish." Amshel lowered his head slightly, and in moments, was gone.

-ns-

"You thought you could have me," Diva whispered into the man's ear. "But I'm too good for you." She giggled to herself. Her words meant nothing to the man for he was already dead. Diva had sucked him dry.

"Was it okay, dear?" Nathan asked.

"He tasted like wine but smelled heavily of smoke and money," Diva answered as she stood up. "He was delicious." She smiled to show her satisfaction, blood dripping from her chin. Usually, a certain someone would come up to her with a clean handkerchief and would wipe the mess from her face gently. But that person stood at a respectful distance, away from the rest.

"Dear, let me wipe that off," Nathan said and took out a handkerchief and wiped her chin.

Saya had been watching Diva for the whole time. She saw Nathan wiping Diva's face and somehow felt a twinge of jealousy. The only person who kept on doing that was her, always, throughout their time together, anywhere and everywhere. But now, it was a lowly Chevalier who was doing _her _job. _Lowly? _She was surprised. Now she was seeing things so differently. It was true though; she was jealous because no one else had the right to do that but her. No one could take better care of Diva. And she was sure Diva felt the same.

But was there to do? She wanted to approach her sibling so badly, but the memory of what had occurred the previous night made her remain firmly in place. The words Diva spoke to her still rang clearly through her head: _"He must have made you such a spoiled brat, just feeding you with ridiculous human food. No wonder you're as weak as they are, onee-chan! _You_ are one of them!"_

Diva glanced back at her twin and saw her looking back at her. Her eyes gleamed with malice as their eyes locked within those moments. Obviously irritated, Saya averted her gaze and stepped back further into the shadows.

-ns-

"I want to go back home now," Diva avowed a little later, folding her arms like a child. "It's so _boring_ here anyway." The Chevaliers glanced back at Saya; it was obvious Diva emphasized it and wanted to direct it to Saya, in one way or another. Saya merely stared right back at them.

"If that is your wish," Amshel said deferentially. Diva skipped to his side and hugged his arm.

"Humans are so stupid, aren't they, Amshel?" she said pleasantly.

"Indeed, my Queen," Amshel answered with a smirk. It must have been a satisfaction to him that Diva, for once, was giving him attention. Saya watched them, gaze piercing that for once, it was enough to make Nathan and Solomon step further away from her.

-ns-

The small group had ridden in the limousine; however things weren't as they used to be. Saya sat beside Solomon while Diva sat with Amshel. Though Diva didn't seem to care much of the situation, Saya's aura was very much different and uninviting. While Diva had a lively conversation with Amshel, on the opposite side, not a word was exchanged between Saya and Solomon.

Solomon wanted to cheer her up, but couldn't come up with anything to say. Saya was leaning her chin into her hand while she looked out sullenly through the window, a clear sign that she was in no mood to talk. So in the end, Solomon was unable to say anything at all.

-ns-

Joel was sitting back in the chair, when the agent seated on the driver's seat looked back at him grimly, pressing the earpiece closer with a hand.

"Director," he said.

"What's wrong?"

"We have received a report that Diva has ridden the limousine along with her escorts." David, who was seated right beside him, sat up in alarm.

"How long will it take before they reach this place?" Joel asked.

"Around twenty minutes, sir," the agent answered.

"Do the rest know?"

"I'll contact them in a few minutes." The agent went out of the vehicle for some space and conveyed the same urgent message to the rest.

"I'll get the rest of the firearms from Lewis' van for a moment," David said and went out.

-ns-

"How long do you think do we have to wait?" Kai asked his companion. He was getting tired of waiting. It was getting late, the air was colder, and the streets were gloomier.

Haji didn't answer. He just stood there like a statue, staring intently into the distance. His eyes caught something.

At that moment, four silhouettes leaped from a nearby building and landed nimbly in front of Kai, startling him. He easily recognized them as the Schiff.

"Kai," Moses said seriously.

"You're late," Kai stated. "But it's better that way 'cause we didn't do much."

"They're on their way here!" Lulu cried.

"You mean Diva?"

"Yeah," Karman answered for the little girl. He pushed his lenses back. "It's a few minutes drive before they reach this place."

"Is everyone ready?" Moses asked.

Kai glanced back at his comrades and saw David standing beside the black car, motioning him to approach. "They're calling us."

All six headed went to David, who was already holding a large heavily-armed gun. Joel stepped out from the car, and was holding a gun as well. Nearby, just behind their vehicle was Lewis' van, with Lewis and Okamura themselves outside, holding weapons of their own.

"The rest were already informed of Diva's presence and are stationed in areas within a certain perimeter here," Joel said. Lewis and Okamura walked up to their group.

"Hey," Okamura said casually.

"Getting used to this stuff, eh?" Lewis asked with a grin.

"Not really," Okamura replied.

"Lewis," David said grimly. "This is not the time and place for idle chat."

-ns-

"So you have decided to join us?" Joel asked the Schiff. "I never expected to see you here, to be honest."

"Neither did us," Moses said. "But we know we can't deal with Diva and her Chevaliers alone."

"I smelled five of them!" Lulu interrupted cheerfully.

"What are you saying?" Karman said. "There were only four!"

"No there wasn't!" Lulu answered back. "There were five Chevaliers!"

"Five?" Moses said in confusion. "That's impossible, Lulu. I sensed four."

"Two against one, Lulu," Karman stated. "There's something wrong with your senses."

"Well, to be honest, I sensed only four," Gudrif intervened mildly. "But it's like she's right."

"We get the point," Kai cut in. "There are a lot. So we just have to be ready, right?"

"We'd only be able to confirm their identities once they're near enough," Joel said while folding his arms. Meanwhile, David contacted the others through the earpiece.

"Sir," he told the young director, "They're almost here." He faced the rest and they nodded.

-ns-

"Amshel," Diva said.

"Yes?"

"Amshel, I'm sleepy."

"Then you are free to rest, my Queen." Again, overhearing them, Saya felt a pang of jealousy, but showed little reaction.

"Tell James to hurry up, will you?" Yawning, Diva rested her head on his shoulder.

"You heard her, James," Amshel said with a hint of authority.

James complied by going faster, as his mistress had wished. Ahead was the lonely street where hardly anyone went through. The dim light from the streetlights along the sidewalks gave the atmosphere a chilly feeling, a feeling which everyone of them ignored.

-ns-

The car was hidden in an alleyway, while the van was parked opposite it. Kai, Joel and David were crouched, hidden in a dark corner where garbage cans stood. Across the street were Lewis and Okamura. Lewis gave a sign, which meant that everything was clear. The rest of the agents were already positioned in their own hiding places. Meanwhile, the Schiff were on top of a building, Haji standing from another building at the opposite side.

Lewis looked through the small night vision goggles to get a better look on the approaching vehicle.

"The limousine's presence is confirmed and it's coming at a considerable speed," David heard through his earpiece.

David conveyed the message to the agent with them. He told the same thing to the Kai and Joel.

"Haji and the Schiff would be able to notice the speed as well," Joel said. Meanwhile Kai pressed himself against the wall, holding the gun close to him.

"Remember," Joel reminded, "We let them pass through us before we surround them."

"But what if they're too fast?" Kai asked.

"We have a Chevalier and the Schiff."

They could hear the engine now, and could tell that indeed the vehicle was driving at a high speed. Moments passed, then a limousine sped pass their hiding place.

With a shot gun, Lewis made a few shots. He missed once, quickly recovered and successfully shot the right wheel.

"Got them!" Okamura cried.

The limousine lost control of its direction and tried to break. As it did, there was a painful screech.

James cursed as he struggled to gain control the limousine's direction. "What in heaven's name is happening?" Nathan asked in alarm.

-ns-

"Why did we stop?" Diva demanded. "And why did you have to be so rude, James?"

"They're here!" Amshel growled.

"Barr the entrance _now_!" David ordered through the earpiece. Moments after, there was the sound of other engines and the limousine was surrounded by all seven cars.

Joel motioned them to fire.

"Wait! Saya's in there!" Kai cried and everyone froze.

Moments passed by in silence. The engine of the limousine was still on, and the lights at the rear were a bright red. A door opened. Everyone tensed and prepared to fire their weapons. Slowly, a man in a purple suit stepped out. He had a small smile dancing on his lips.

"My, my," he began nonchalantly, unperturbed by the firearms pointed at him, "this is quite a group."

"Don't let your guard down," David told the rest. His eyes narrowed on Nathan. "He's a Chevalier."

"I don't see why such important-looking men would track a poor group of ours in such a fine evening, hmm?" Nathan said. "Why don't you let us go in peace?"

"Bring Saya Otonashi out," Joel said firmly. "If you hand her over, then you're free to leave."

-ns-

Saya couldn't understand what had occurred. She had accidentally bumped her head during the sudden break of the limousine.

"Saya, are you alright?" Solomon asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." Saya rubbed her head. _What was that all about?_

They all listened as Nathan tried to talk to the men.

"Bring Saya Otonashi out," a voice said, one which Saya identified as Joel's, "If you hand her over, then you're free to leave."

Everyone looked at Saya. Saya looked frantically through the window. Cars surrounded them from a safe distance, with agents hidden among them, pointing their weapons to their direction.

-ns-

"Hand over Saya?" Nathan repeated. "Let me think…" He closed his eyes in thought. "Hmm…"

David sensed something. "Fire!" he suddenly shouted. The rest of his comrades were startled, but obeyed his command.

Instead of a human, a large purple Chiropteran stood where the man had been. The bullets sank into its body, and it staggered for a moment. It quickly recovered and advanced toward them with inhuman speed, lifting its large, dangerous claws which glinted in the moonlight. A dagger from out of nowhere deflected the Chiropteran's attack when it attempted to strike a handful of agents.

From above, Haji descended swiftly, followed by the other four Schiff.

"Oh, my," Nathan said. "What a handsome man you are! You must be Haji, Saya's servant!"

Haji said nothing as he approached the alien-like Chiropteran. The bandages on his hand slowly fell off, revealing a large, clawed appendage.

"This will be fun," Nathan said, his eyes narrowing at the Chevalier.

-ns-

The four Schiff dashed to the limousine, holding their weapons high to make a blow. Before they could come any closer, another door opened, and a white blur drove them back a few meters.

Solomon stood before the limousine, his hand already morphed into a blade.

"Chevalier!" Karman hissed.

"Forgive me," Solomon said mildly, "But I cannot comply with your wishes. Saya does not belong with any of you."

Some nearby agents fired their guns at him, but the Chevalier had vanished from his spot and moments appeared, lifting his blade to slice a Schiff, particularly Lulu.

"Watch out!" Karman yelled, shoving the little girl to the side and blocking the strike with his spear. Moses came in and swung his scythe at Solomon, but ended up slicing the air when the Chevalier evaded it effortlessly.

-ns-

"I'm going to fight those bastards," James growled before heading out without waiting for any response. He quickly changed into a Chiropteran and easily stabbed an unfortunate agent which he came upon. Volleys of bullets were shot at him, but the bullets bounced off from his hard armor.

"Foolish weaklings!" James bellowed, smashing a car which was in his way. Three agents were firing at him. Irritated, he lifted his appendage to stab them. Lewis, who was fortunately nearby, fired at him with a shotgun, making James stagger backwards from the impact. The heavily-armored Chevalier growled and headed for him.

-ns-

Saya could only watch in helplessly as she saw the Red Shield desperately fight. _They're fighting…for me. They came to take me back. _What should she do? Haji, Kai, David and the rest were already engaged in combat. Even the Schiff were present, holding off on their own with Solomon. She wanted to help, yet she couldn't. Her heartbeat quickened its pace when a thought entered her head: _What if I assist them? They could barely get even with Solomon and the rest… Maybe I could help them escape._

"This is boring," Diva avowed in the limousine. She stared through the window in boredom, watching as several scenes of fighting and bloodshed took place around her.

Amshel headed out calmly and held the door open. "Come," he said, extending a hand to the twins. Diva stepped out, followed by Saya.

Gunshots filled the air and pained screams and frustrated shouts joined in. Reinforcements were brought in by Joel, more cars had quickly arrived, and more armed men joined in the battle.

Saya watched in horror as men were killed one by one.

"I will bring you two to a safer place," Amshel said.

"Aww, but Amshel," Diva whined, "this is such a nice show! Can't we stay here a little longer?"

"I shall place you somewhere where you could watch the whole scene in safety until you're satisfied, my Queen," Amshel answered.

"Okay," Diva said cheerfully, clinging to his arm.

"Saya," Amshel called to the elder twin, who stood, frozen by indecisiveness.

"Y-Yes." Saya followed after them reluctantly. _Should I go with them and leave Kai and the rest here? _ She bit her lip. _No! I can't!_

Diva glanced back at Saya and frowned.

-ns-

Kai yelled in frustration as he fired at James. "Why won't you die?" he cried.

"Foolish human," James snorted. "My armor is that of steel! Nothing can harm me!"

"Tch." Kai continued to fire as James approached him. He was with other agents, who fired their guns at the Chiropteran as well.

David and Joel joined in. Both were holding machine guns.

"Bullets won't work on him!" Kai said frantically. Behind James, he could see three people. He narrowed his eyes. "Saya!" he cried when he recognized her.

"What?" David said.

"Saya! She's out of the limousine with Diva and another man!"

"Where?" Joel followed his gaze and saw the trio.

"No one gets through me!" James growled.

-ns-

Saya couldn't tolerate the scenes around her. She stood there; Amshel and Diva had vanished and left her behind.

Men were dying in the hands of only three Chevaliers. She _had _to do something. She couldn't allow them to die. After all, they came for her. They were fighting for her sake.

Nearby, Solomon was busy fighting the Schiff, who were obviously losing. Two or three agents supported them with guns. One was unfortunate, when Solomon came across him, stabbed his heart and flung him aside. Blood already stained his white suit.

"Solomon!" Saya cried. "No! Stop this already!"

Stunned, Solomon turned to her. "Saya…"

Even the Schiff were stunned and stopped fighting for a few moments.

"This isn't right!" Saya continued. "Enough already, Solomon!" She sensed Nathan nearby and screamed telepathically at him, _Nathan, stop this nonsense!_

_My Queen? _came a surprised reply.

"Enough!" Saya repeated. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Saya, I can't do that," Solomon answered. For once, there was no warmth in his voice. He continued to fight.

"Ms. Otonashi!" an agent called heading for her. He ran toward her and before he could reach her, he was impaled by a blue sword.

"Solomon!" Saya screamed in shock.

Solomon gave her a cold stare, flung the corpse of the agent aside and advanced toward her.

"Solomon, how could you? You—" Saya was cut off when Solomon took her in his arms. "No!" she cried, struggling violently.

"Saya," Solomon said mildly. "You can't stay here. I'll bring you somewhere safe." A cry tore through the air as Karman jabbed him with his spear. Solomon evaded it, as well as the slice from Moses' scythe. Lulu and Gudrif almost had him with their own weapons, but failed. Solomon jumped high in their air.

"Let me go!" Saya yelled, still struggling.

"Saya, stop it!" Solomon said firmly. "Saya—" he was shocked when she slipped from his arms. "SAYA!"

* * *

_Okay, so technically, I'm not yet finished with the chapter. I'm sorry if this is a terrible cliffhanger (Tch. As if this chapter had any suspense at all. 'Doubt it.). Making this was so hard and troublesome that I decided to cut it. And I figured this chapter would be way too long so I don't really think it would be…nice._

_So one of you might think that the events were rather, let's say, unrealistic. If that thought ever occurred to you, let me just say this: I know it shouldn't have happened that way, but hey, this is just fiction. Fan fiction. If you get what I'm saying, that's great.  
_

_Anyhow, I expect reviews. (Aww, who am I kidding? Okay, I just—at the very least—want a review or two. If you don't feel like making one, that's alright. I mean, I'm not demanding anything in return. Either you give a review or not, it's okay—though I _really _appreciate it if you gave a review.)_

_Sorry for whatever I should be sorry for._

_I'll try to update as soon as possible. That's all for now. _

_Paalam! (That's Filipino for 'Goodbye'. Heh.) _


	26. Chapter 22: Standing InBetween Part II

_Ugh, this sucks. Don't you think it's so freakin' annoying __when people thought you had chicken pox, and in their panic kept you in a dark room like you're some sort of dangerous killer, wearing a sweater and pjs, only to find out it wasn't chicken pox? Well, that happened to me. Wasn't it a super nice delay?_

_Well, anyways, I whipped it up into a long chapter, and by long, I mean REALLY long. _

_I made it worthwhile, so happy reading._

* * *

Chapter XXII

Standing In-Between

Part II

-ns-

She was falling… She squeezed her eyes shut and yelled one name, "Haji!"  
She prepared for the painful impact on the ground. Instead, she felt arms around her in a protective embrace and looked up to see him. She hadn't seen him for a long time, so long that she missed him. But one call was enough to summon him to her side, and she was glad.

"Haji!" Saya said happily.

"Saya." Haji's voice still remained monotonous despite the fact that they had reunited. In his eyes, there was a small flash of happiness.

Haji landed on the ground nimbly, and sidestepped to miss a blow from Solomon. He leaped back a few meters before placing Saya on the ground.

"Give her back," Solomon said in low voice. His eyes glinted dangerously. Another figure jumped in. A purple Chiropteran.

_Saya? _Nathan said in confusion. _Dear, what are you doing? _

"You should stop this!" Saya cried. Haji raised an arm, making Saya stop from whatever she was going to say. He handed her something instead. Saya stared at it in surprise. "Saya, fight," Haji said stoically. "Joel, Kai and the rest need you right now."

"But Haji—"

"I can handle them," Haji cut in. His back was turned against her, so she couldn't see his expression. Saya looked down at what she was holding. It was a katana, similar to the one she had wielded, but its handle was red. A ruby-like stone rested at the pommel, reflecting the light from the moon.

"Saya, don't do this!" Solomon cried. He wasn't able to say anymore when Haji made for him, swinging his cello case in attempt to smash him. Nathan joined in. Moments ensued between the three, before the Schiff were able to assist Haji face off the two Chevaliers.

-ns-

Kai shot another bullet at the Chiropteran, but it only bounced off its armor. He was about to shoot again, but realized the magazine was empty.

"I'm all out of bullets!" he yelled to David, who was at the far side.

"I have nothing left as well!" was David's reply. There was a curse, as Joel was struggling to reload his submachine gun.

There was a deep, rumbling chuckle from the Chiropteran. "So are you done having your fun?" James asked. "Now it's my turn!" he charged at Kai and raised his appendage in attempt to impale him. "Now die!"

A clang echoed in the air. Metal contacting with metal.

Everyone of them stared at the small slender figure fighting against the monster.

"Go!" Saya cried, holding her ground.

"What are you doing?" James demanded. "Don't get in my way!" He tried to break through her defenses by pushing down on her with his strength.

"I won't let you hurt them!" Saya answered back. James was shocked when he couldn't press down on her.

"Saya!" Kai cried, but could not get any nearer.

"I said don't get in my way!" James roared, biting her blade and flinging her away. Saya was able to maintain her balance as she landed. Within a flash, she was fighting him again.

Saya easily evaded James' attacks. She either blocked them, or evaded them with ease. _He is a Chevalier, Saya_, she reminded herself. _You can easily defeat him. _Mentally, she compared him with Solomon's way of fighting. _His attacks are slower than Solomon's, _she blocked another swipe, but was pushed back by the strength of the impact. _But they're much heavier and stronger. _

She tried to think of a plan. Unlike any of the rest, she observed that James could not move as swiftly as the rest. _He may be slow and easy to hit but his armor are hard to break through. _

Fusillades of bullets were fired at James, but placed no effect on him. Saya glanced behind her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "Go! Leave now!"

"No! I can't leave you here!" Kai cried.

"You have to go!" Saya cried. She kicked heavily on James, sending him back a few meters away. She vanished from her spot and reappeared, swinging heavily on the Chiropteran's head. Jabs from her opponent followed quickly after she landed on the ground, but a single swipe was enough to deflect both arms.

"She's much stronger now," Joel observed.

"I said go!" Saya yelled. It was more of a command, so full of authority that Kai was taken aback.

"We can't leave! Not without you!" Kai cried. "We came all this way just to take you back, Saya!"

Stunned by his words, Saya glanced back at him. He wore that same, determined expression.

"You idiot! You have to leave!" She felt another presence brush against her. Alarmed, she took quick glances around, giving James a chance to jab her at the side. Saya winced at the pain, and stepped back.

"You can't stay here, Kai!" she yelled. She saw something glint under the moonlight.

"But—"

"Behind you!" A large red stake darted past Kai, inches from his head.

_No_, Saya thought in horror. She only knew of one person who had that kind of weapon. James saw the large stake and gave a snort of ridicule.

"What perfect timing!" a voice exclaimed. "After watching Diva's performance, I never expected to watch another exciting show!"

_Karl? _Saya thought in horror. She looked back at Kai and cried, "Kai, you have to get out of here! You're going against four Chevaliers! You can't stand a chance against them!"

"She's right," Joel said. "We have to retreat for now."

"But how about Saya?" Kai asked frantically.

"Kai," David said urgently. "We have to leave." He glanced back at Saya and added grimly, "Saya… We won't be able to bring her back this time, but I assure you—"

"No!" Kai cut in. "We came all this way just for Saya! We can't leave her here!"

"Yes you can," a voice intervened smoothly. "You can leave her here. You _should _leave her here…" A silhouette appeared from a short distance, walking towards them unhurriedly. "Because, after all, Saya belongs with me."

"It's the Chevalier from last time!" David said in alarm. He turned to his remaining few comrades, including Joel. "We can't stay here any longer!"

"Why leave in such short notice?" the silhouette asked. "I've just arrived, haven't I?" There was an amused chuckle. Moments after, his face came into full view.

Karl smiled. "The show has only begun."

-ns-

Haji smashed the case at the purple chiropteran, but it blocked it with one strong arm.

_How could Saya do this?_ Nathan asked, his voice indicating obvious shock. He ducked a swipe from Haji and as he did, reciprocated the attack by lashing a dangerous blade at him.

_I don't know_, Solomon answered, dismayed as well. He parried Moses' blow with an effortless swing.

Haji held out his case quickly enough to shield himself, but the strength of the attack drove him a few meters back. Nathan charged at him, blades gleaming threateningly, but before he could come any closer to the Chevalier, Gudrif and Lulu appeared before the Chevalier and defended Haji as he strived to recover from Nathan's previous blow.

"Saya will fight for what is right," Haji said, rushing at him. He drew out five daggers and aimed them at Nathan's face. Nathan lifted an arm to protect himself, however one had successfully dug into his right eye. Haji smote him in the face again with his clawed arm as Nathan tried to pull the dagger out, making the purple chiropteran groan and stagger for a few moments. Another painful swing from Moses' scythe made him step back further away.

"C'mon, Lulu," Karman growled to his companion. "We could bring this bastard down, can't we?"

"That's right!" the peppy Lulu agreed, smiling. She lowered herself, like a predator, eyeing Solomon, who stood a few meters away, awaiting an attack. Karman nodded to her, and with his signal, they both rushed at the blond Chevalier.

Karman attacked first, thrusting his spear at Solomon. "Don't be ridiculous," Solomon said soberly, shoving the spear's head aside with his human hand. He was about to stab the Schiff with his free arm, but Lulu had prevented him from doing so with an unexpected, dangerous cut from her axe.

-ns-

Saya shoved James back with her blade and turned her attention to the new arrival. "What are you doing here?" she growled at Karl. "Didn't they send you back to Vietnam?"

Karl merely smiled. "I came to watch Diva's performance, of course. And I thought you missed me."

"I never even thought of you!" Saya shot back.

"Getting so cocky, eh?" Karl said, his face darkening. A manic grin made its way to his face. "But I missed you so much, you know. And I want to spend my time with you while I'm still here so that my time would be worthwhile." He held out a hand. "Why don't we dance, Saya?" He was interrupted by the sudden drumfire of bullets from David and the rest. Irked, he lifted his chiropteran arm to block them out. "Don't get in my way!" he cried irritatingly, lunging at the men. The agents backed away but were to slow. Karl's arm would have struck an agent dead, if not for Saya's quick action. She blocked his attack.

"You're protecting them?" Karl said, his smile altering to a scowl. He held the blade in his hand. It sank into his flesh, and blood quickly flowed out. But he ignored the pain, and flung it aside. Saya didn't let go of the handle, preventing Karl from doing so. She pushed against him, trying to break through his defenses.

Her strength surprised Karl. His face transformed into an expression of perplexity. In the past, she wasn't as strong as she was in the present. The knowing made him frown even more. The blade was sinking deeper into his flesh, and for once, he noticed the pain and winced.

As the two fought for dominance, there were loud stomps behind them. "Fire at him! Fire I say!" a voice cried in both anger and haste. There was an angry bawl as gunshots resounded throughout the streets.

"Foolish humans! How many times must I tell you that firearms do not work on me?" James cried in triumph. A pained, horrified cry tore through the air.

"Don't stop firing!" Joel cried. He and his remaining men stepped back as James advanced toward them slowly. Kai looked around for a weapon. There was a dead agent lying close by. He spotted a firearm and ran to the corpse. He took the shot gun in his arms, and also found a pistol hidden in a holster under the corpse's suit. He unstrapped it and wore it himself. He cocked the gun at James, aiming for his head.

"Die!" James cried, swinging an arm at David. Packets of the shot struck him directly in the head. James staggered at the impact. He turned to the young man and growled. "Insolent brat!"

"Hey, iron-head!" a voice cried. James spun around at the person.

Okamura grinned, from the other end of the street, holding a grenade. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" He pulled the ring off and threw it to his direction. The grenade exploded at contact, sending the armored chiropteran a few meters back. Bullets followed as the rest of the agents joined in.

"Yeah!" Lewis cried in triumph and high-fived his comrade. He reloaded his special shot gun and aimed it at James, assisting the photographer beside him.

"Kai!" Saya cried, glancing back at the people who were struggling to fight James. She avoided an attack from Karl.

"Let them," Karl said. "You're dancing only with me." He grinned and raised his grotesque appendage, smashing it at her. Saya evaded swiftly, before nicking him in the cheek. Blood streamed out from the cut, but it quickly closed over. Karl held his cheek, smiling.

"You've improved in dancing, Saya," he said, holding his hand in front of him for her to see the long fingers curl and clench gruesomely. "I want to see more."

Saya bit her lip and prepared herself for the next attack.

-ns-

"C'mon!" Okamura cried, throwing the last of the grenades at the Chiropteran.

"Have some more!" Lewis joined in, firing at him.

David continued to fire, but realized that he was all out of bullets. James shook his head, roared furiously, and charged at them. He rushed at a particular agent who was still firing his automatic rifle at him.

"Get away from him! Run!" David cried at the agent, who still stood his ground. As James neared, the agent slowly stepped back, intimidated. Ignoring the irksome bullets shot at him, James swiped the agent. The man tried to avoid it, but was too slow. Everyone gasped in shock.

Joel was flung to the side. His body rolled slightly across the road and came to a stop. Instead of the agent, it was Joel who was harmed for he had ran to protect his comrade from James' attack.

"Director!" David cried, running to the young man's aid.

"Foolish!" James snorted in ridicule. "That's what you deserve!"

"So you want more of this, huh?" Okamura cried angrily. He searched for any more grenades, but found out that he was all out. Cursing, he took the rifle slung over his shoulder and cocked it at the Chiropteran's head. "Eat this!" he hollered, shooting directly at James.

"Have a taste of my own!" Lewis cried, taking the heavy machine gun in his arms and pulling at the trigger. "This is for Joel, you thug!"

David and his men stepped back as the Chiropteran loomed over him. He and two men took the unconscious Joel by the shoulder and assisted him.

"He's bleeding!" David cried in alarm. His submachine gun was useless so he flung it aside and drew out the pistol from its holster under his suit. Thankfully, Okamura and Lewis had distracted James and had made him turn around and face him instead while they tried to escape.

"Yeah, that's right!" Okamura cried. "Come to me!" Kai had run to his side and was holding the shot gun readily. "This is as good as holding a camera," Okamura stated as sweat beaded his forehead. "But unlike the camera, I could shoot you with _real _bullets!"

"This is for Joel!" Kai yelled.

"You won't survive after harming the Director!" Lewis hollered, scowling angrily. All three fired with their heavily-armed weapons.

-ns-

In terms of speed, it was Saya who was winning. Her agility and strength had served her well as she was able to deliver cut and gashes in different parts of Karl's body. The wounds constantly healed, of course, but they still pained Karl's body. Saya quickened her moves, overcome by worry for the rest of the remaining people fighting the Chevaliers. Her opponent was obviously irritated for the fact that he was losing to _her_. Despite the fact that he was at difficulty, he refused to turn into a complete Chiropteran. No; he wanted to fight with her, share those precious, hateful moments with her in a state where he could hold her without crushing her fragile body. Of course, he still wanted to land a 'few' beautiful red marks all over her body. In his eyes, it would be a splendid work of art, a masterpiece.

However, he was still losing. And that was very much annoying.

"Stop it, Karl!" Saya cried, blocking a strike. "I don't want to fight you!"

"You shall dance with me!" Karl growled, his jaw clenched tightly. His face clearly set with rage. "You shall dance 'till none of them shall remain standing, so we shall be the only ones left!" He tried to grab her with his Chiropteran arm. "So dance with me!" He was turning desperate now.

"No!" Saya made one move, and created a painfully deep gash across the length of his chiropteran arm. Blood oozed out from the sliced flesh moments after. "I have to help Kai!"

A vein throbbed on his temple. Saya was thinking about them. His beloved, his most loathsome enemy, thinking about those worthless beings. _Rubbish_. It was too much. They were always getting in his way, every time. She was supposed to think about him, about how fearful, horrifying his brutish strength was. How terrifying he was, inspiring fear and seeing those fear in her eyes. But what did he see in those glowing red eyes of hers? There was no fear. There was no hatred as he had wished for. It was anxiety. Worry. Saya was worrying about the humans. While they had been fighting, all she thought about was them. Not him, or even the fight.

_Rubbish_. "Tch." He bared his fangs and an angry hiss escaped his lips.

"Kai!" Saya turned to help her precious brother.

"Saya!" Karl snarled. "You forgot," he began. His lips twisted into an eerie smile. "I was dancing with you merely to improve my mood tonight. But you turned me down as you always do. You were never thinking of me. All that was in your mind was _them_. " He raised his arm. Saya turned back to him and her eyes widened in shock. "But I'll kill them for you, so you'll have no one else to think about but _me_!" The red stake slowly extended from his hand. Sharp, crystallized blood, aiming at one particular person standing not so far. He was within range of his shot.

"No!"

But it was too late.

-ns-

The Chiropteran bellowed and surged forward. Kai, Lewis and Okamura parted ways and quickly avoided the armored beast. James quickly changed direction and chased after Okamura.

"Oh crap!" Okamura cried in surprise. He was easily being overtaken.

"Over here!" Lewis hollered, firing at James. Kai joined in and came closer to get a good shot.

"No!" a voice suddenly cried. It sounded familiar to his ears.

"Saya?" Kai spun around, but was stunned when another stake came right past his throat. He gulped and stared at the figure standing directly at the place from which the sake came from.

"We have to leave, _now!_" David commanded urgently through his earpiece. He assisted the two men lift the director to a safer place. One of them had contacted the Headquarters at once for a few more men and a few vehicles.

"We can't last any longer," Lewis cried, firing at James. Sweat trickled down his face. He glanced at Kai. "What happened?" He was shocked to see the long red spike impaling the hard, black road, which resulted into cracks.

"The man…" Kai stepped back.

"Is that all you got?" Okamura yelled at the monster, running away to avoid the beast's powerful arms.

"We're going to lose if we don't leave now!" Lewis had no other choice but to assist Okamura. Only three men were left to help as well. James, who stood in the middle, was in a state of confusion. He roared to the sky in his frustration.

-ns-

Karl aimed another stake at Kai. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the young man.

"Stop it!" Saya cried frantically, running toward him. She swung her blade at him, but Karl evaded it and shot one of the spikes at her. She quickly deflected the spikes with powerful, quick swings to defend herself. But they were easily driving her back.

"That's it!" Karl said with satisfaction. "Dance for me, Saya!"

Kai strained his eyes at the figure which attacked him previously. He knew he was the Chevalier who attacked them the last time in their mission in Bordeaux, France. He was alarmed to see him firing the spikes at another figure which he easily identified as Saya. He glanced at Lewis and the rest as they brought James in a state of confusion. _They could handle themselves_, he assured himself. He ran to the two, and true enough, witnessed the horrible scene as the man was holding his unnaturally bulky, muscular arm toward Saya, releasing stakes which Saya tried to hard to deflect and fight against. Without warning, he aimed at the Chevalier's arm and pulled at the trigger.

A stake darted past her cheek, resulting in a shallow yet long cut. It quickly healed, and she braced herself for another attack. "I won't let you hurt them," she growled.

Karl chuckled. "How amusing. I'd like to see how you'd try ridiculously to defend those whom you claim to love!" He clenched his fingers, and another spike slowly stuck out from his bluish skin. "And once you lose to me, I will kill them right before you. I will show you the best performance, almost as perfect as Diva's very singing!"

_He's insane_, Saya thought frantically. She frowned at him. Karl was about to shoot yet another spike at her, but a loud gunshot cut through the air, and the Chevalier almost fell back from the strength of the shot.

Swearing harshly, Karl turned his attention the young man who had dared interfere his time with Saya. His frustration intensified when he identified the person. "You…" he snarled viciously. "What are you doing here?"

"That's my sister you're messing with," was Kai's audacious reply. He gripped the shot gun and cocked it to his direction. His answer was so bold, it was almost insulting to the Phantom. Infuriated and without warning, Karl lifted his arm and swiftly released the fresh set of spikes. Of course, being human, Kai would have been too slow to evade the attacks. But he felt a hard, painful shove behind him, and fell a few meters back, literally sliding across the road from the force. The spikes flew past him and struck the ground with enough force to make it actually impale the concrete.

Kai lay sprawled on the ground. His senses were unable to react at once, and for a few moments he lay on the ground, staring up at the dark night sky. Time seemed to slow down as he listened to gunshots, to distant yells of the agents and comrades still engaged in combat. _What's…happening? _The events were too fast for him to comprehend the situation.

"Kai!"a voice cried anxiously. It sounded so distant, so far away…

_Huh? _The voice called for his name again, and it seemed louder this time. He recognized the voice. _Saya? _Dazed, he slowly sat up and groaned when he felt the pain on his back. The shot gun was still held securely in one hand, and out of instinct, he gripped it and surveyed his surroundings. Saya stood before him, her back to him.

"Kai," the voice was tense with what might have been fear, "leave us here."

"I won't!" Kai answered firmly. He tried to get up on one knee, and finally stood up, almost stumbling in the process. "I won't leave you here to fight him alone, Saya."

"Saya…" Karl ground out through gritted teeth. "How…How could you do this to me?" he demanded.

Kai took a step toward her, but froze when he heard her say in a strangely low voice, "Leave me now, or I'll have no choice but to force you…" It was no idle threat and from the tone he could tell that she meant it. Still, his stubbornness overcame his fear, and he refused to do as she bid him to do.

"No," he said steadfastly. "I will not leave you Saya." Forgetting her threat, he walked to her side. "I promised to keep us together no matter what. And I'll never turn against what I had said."

"Kai…" Saya looked up at him. For the first time, for all those past months, they had locked gazes. Her eyes were much different from before, and deep inside, he saw that some part of her altered. He couldn't tell what changed, but still the change astounded him.

"Saya…"

They looked into each others' eyes for only a few moments, before Karl shot more of his spikes at them.

"Stand behind me!" Saya cried, and her brother complied. She sought to divert the spikes with her blade and used much energy in order to accomplish it. A stray spike caught her in the leg, and she winced in the pain. However, she still stood her ground and deflected the rest of the spikes.

"Saya!" Kai cried anxiously when he saw the gash she received. The wound healed almost instantly before he could do anymore than express his worry. It surprised him to see how strong, determined Saya was, how easily her injuries healed and he figured perhaps these were the changes he saw in her.

"Why are you protecting that vermin, Saya?" Karl cried angrily. Hate and envy coursed through his body so intense that his body shook conspicuously. "Why? Why?" He couldn't understand. Why was the human boy so precious to her? Why was she protecting him? And moments before, he saw tender affection in her eyes, those blood-red, loathsome eyes. Those eyes which were meant to be filled with hate and anger, and which were meant to gaze only at him. But instead, they were looking at another thing, an inferior thing, a _human_. In his eyes, she was gazing at _prey_. It wasn't right. Was absurd, so absurd it was most infuriating.

"Come and dance with me, Saya!" he commanded. His desperation was obvious then, and his voice sounded so pitiful. It was close to begging. Saya merely stared straight at him, face blank, her body making no move to comply to his wishes. He lost it then, lost all sense and rationality. Giving a frustrated cry, he unexpectedly lunged forward in attempt to grab her, but she sidestepped, pulling Kai along, who was more or less like a rag doll. As she avoided the attack, she slashed at his arm, and a streak of blood flew through the air as her blade cut along the length of his appendage smoothly. She shoved Kai back and moved to clash heavily against Karl, who had chosen to enter his full Chiropteran form.

"I will make you dance," Karl growled. "I swear, we'll be the only ones standing, Saya." He gave a chuckle, which sounded like a low grumbling deep in his throat. Insanity wasn't far behind. And it was clear that he was intent on having her fight him only.

The two engaged in close combat, exchanging powerful blows which proved life-threatening to a human. Kai quickly got up, held the shot gun and tried to point it at Karl. But it was useless, as the two were fighting, and there were possibilities that he might end up injuring his own sister. He struggled to aim it at the blue Chiropteran, but could not.

As the two fought, it did seem that Karl was soon getting the upper hand. He used his stakes most of the time, and it seemed like the number of stakes which struck Saya were more than those which did not. The injuries Saya received were small and shallow at the beginning of the battle, but as time stretched on, they turned out to be more serious.

-ns-

Haji stood at the edge of the building. Blood was dripping from his right arm, and the pain would have seemed great. His expression remained blank despite the difficulty he faced, however. In front of him, Solomon stood, his blade ridden with Haji's blood.

Solomon stared coldly at the stoic Chevalier. "You'll soon lose to me no matter what you do," he said. "So I'll be kind for once and let you live, _if_," his eyes glinted, "you bring Saya back to us."

"Saya will choose whoever she wants to be with," Haji replied, voice still indicating no pain. "That decision is not yours to make."

"Saya chose to be with us," Solomon answered.

"If she did choose to be with you," Haji stated, "she wouldn't be fighting against you."

Solomon's calm face altered into a frown. "Your presence always makes her unstable. She was overrun with indecision because you were pressing on her to rejoin your worthless group."

"We were merely returning Saya where she belongs."

"Saya is never meant with you!" Solomon answered, slashing through the air with his hand. "As a brother, I do not wish to cause you harm. But I will not set aside my duties as a Chevalier in protecting Saya from the delusions she was wrapped in."

"Nothing of her past life was a delusion."

"Humans don't even understand her, or any of us!" Solomon pointed out. "How could you call yourself a Chevalier if this is where you're leading her into?"

"It is a mere duty as a Chevalier to serve her and protect her," Haji answered. "That is all I could do as her servant."

"If that is how you see things," Solomon began darkly, "then I'll have to open your eyes to reality." He surged forward with inhuman speed and thrust out his sword to impale him. Haji blocked it with his cello case and used it to smash him…

-ns-

Meanwhile, the Schiff were having a hard time as well with Nathan for he proved to be agile. Nathan had almost sliced Karman in half, had it not been for Moses who blocked it with his scythe. While the Schiff struggled in vain to bring him down, or at least get even with him, Nathan easily injured them. He had actually made a cut so deep into Gudrif's chest, and Lulu had to look after him from a safe distance while the other two—Moses and Karman—fought the purple Chiropteran.

"We can't go on like this…" Gudrif said, his face ridden with worry.

"What should we do?" Lulu asked. Even she was starting to lose hope in winning the battle. In truth, she was scared. The fact that none of them could lay a finger on Nathan was frightening enough. Worse yet, he had almost killed Gudrif. He was too swift, vanishing from a considerable distance, then suddenly appearing behind them and slicing both dangerous scythe-like arms at them. Given the chance, he could really do more serious casualties than just cuts.

_I…_Karman blocked a swing, but was too weak to suppress the force exerted on him. _I can't fight him…! _ He finally gave way, ducking immediately to avoid it just in time. Just as he evaded the attack, another bladed arm got him on the shoulder and he was pinned to the ground. Karman gave a yell, both from pain and frustration as he struggled to free himself from the blade. Blood slowly oozed from the injury.

"How ridiculous," Nathan said in his grumbling Chiropteran voice. He loomed over him, raised his free arm to the sky and brought it down on the helpless Schiff.

"No!" Moses cried, tackling him to the ground with his whole body. "Get away from him!" He brought out his scythe in time for their blades to collide heavily. Blood was dripping from his chin. While the two fought, Karman moved away, gripping his bleeding shoulder. Though he was unable to recover completely from his injury, he didn't hesitate to join the fight and assist Moses.

-ns-

David and the two men laid the director gently against the wall of a corner. The rest of the men weren't far away, still confusing the armored beast who stood in the middle. Blood easily soaked through Joel's suit.

"He's bleeding too quickly," David said grimly as he discarded the director's torn suit and unbuttoned the bloodied dress shirt. "Have you contacted HQ?"

"We have," one of the agents answered, "and they're headed this way as we speak."

"How long will it take?" David asked.

"An estimated fifteen minutes, sir."

"That's too long," David snapped. He and the two agents were shocked to see the injury Joel had received. There was a jagged line across his abdomen. His skin was lacerated by James' claws, but fortunately, it was not so deep, unlike the rest, which caused quick deaths to the agents. Still though, that did not fail to bleed seriously.

"Where…are the rest…?" Joel asked weakly. He struggled to keep awake, but the pain was too great, he grimaced and tried to suppress a groan of pain.

"They are still fighting, Director," David answered. "But you shouldn't try to speak anymore." His voice was laced with worry as he spoke.

"We have…to leave…" Joel grimaced again. His consciousness was fading too quickly, and his eyesight blurred. "We can't sacrifice…anymore people…" He wasn't able to say anymore and lost consciousness.

"Director!" David cried in shock. He turned to the two men with him. "Contact the rest of them!" he ordered sharply. "Tell Lewis that we will retreat once help from HQ has arrived."

-ns-

Saya stepped back, panting.

"What's wrong?" Karl asked. "Don't tell me the fun's over, because this is just the beginning!" He readied to shoot yet another volley of the spikes, and at this, Saya stepped back a little more, preparing herself.

Previously, a stake had cut across her temple, even cutting off a lock of her hair, making blood flow from the wound. It was long, and quite deep, and the blood that streamed out had blinded her right eye. It healed in a few moments, but the blood was still there. She was unable to wipe it off since Karl gave her no chance of resting or even pausing for some breath. As a result, she couldn't see through all the attacks, or the coming stakes, which lead to more serious injuries.

Kai shot the Chiropteran when the two had finally stood a short distance from each other. He succeeded at shooting him in the arm. Glaring at the little daredevil, Karl lurched forward at him without a second's thought, forgetting Saya.

Again, Kai pulled on the trigger and the pack of shots hit the Chiropteran directly in the head as it was a few meters away from him. Karl staggered back, was forced to move back even more then even stumbled and fell on his back. Karl gave a howl of pain while Kai ran away from his spot quickly before the Chiropteran could recover and attack him again.

"Kai," a voice suddenly called through the earpiece as Kai moved away.

"Okamura?"

"Wherever you are, you have to retreat," Okamura said urgently. Kai sensed the difficulty in his voice as he spoke.

"But I'm with Saya right now! I can't leave her here 'cause we're fighting the Chevalier!"

"We can't waste anymore time!" Okamura was forced to cry. "We can't bring her back, you understand, Kai? They'll be here in a few minutes!"

_Can't bring her back? _The absurdity of the thought angered him. "No! I won't leave her here! I'll bring Saya back whatever the cost!"

While he was distracted with talking, Karl slowly got up. The bullets were slowly pushed out of his head, and the holes closed over.

"Haji has prepared to retreat from battle, even the Schiff. Once the vehicles arrive, it's our time to leave! You can't—" There was an abrupt pause. "They're here! The cars are here! Where are you?"

"I won't leave Saya!" Kai answered, though his heart was thumping hard and fast against his chest with agitation. "I won't—"

"Kai!" Saya cried, cutting through what he was about to say. "Behind you!"

Kai spun around, and saw the large hands about to grab him. Out of reflex, he jumped to the side, but it was useless, as a barrage of spikes followed moments after. Unable to defend himself or avoid them he squeezed his eyes shut instead, waiting for one of them to impale him.

Nothing reached him, but he heard a few clangs, then a cry of pain. He opened his eyes to see what had happened and was shocked.

-ns-

"Saya…" he was stunned to see her standing before him once more. Three of the stakes had impaled her in the torso, and blood quickly soaked through her clothing. Saya fell on one knee, dropping her blade and gripping one of the stakes which ran through her.

There was a burst of cruel laughter. "You have danced well for me, Saya!" Karl cried in thrill. He clapped his hands, though in his Chiropteran form, he looked awkward as he did so.

Something snapped in Kai's mind, and he quickly returned to his senses. "Saya!" He was about to run to her side, but stopped dead on his tracks when she growled one word,

"Leave."

Again, vague threat hung in the word.

"But Saya—"

"Leave!" Saya roared, instantly silencing him. "I told you already, didn't I?" Her voice contained pain and tension, fear and guilt. Blood spilled on the ground.

"He won't leave," Karl said with a smile. "I'll kill him before he does!" He lunged forward, past Saya.

"No!" Saya screamed.

-ns-

"What?" Karl snarled when he saw a silver, large coffin-shaped case come between him and the boy he wished to slay. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, slamming his large, brutish arms against the case.

"Haji!" Saya cried. She tried to get up, picking up the blade beside her.

Haji shielded the young man with him and lifted the case to smash the Chiropteran. Immediately, Karl leaped back a short distance away.

"So you've come to save my precious Saya!" Karl growled.

"If she wishes to be saved, I will save her," Haji replied stoically. He looked at his mistress, and she shook her head.

"Please…" Saya gripped her katana. "Please…just go…"

"No, Saya!" Kai cried, about to head for her. But Haji raised an arm to stop him.

"If that is what you wish…" Reluctance hung vaguely in his voice. He inclined his head respectfully.

"You won't leave!" Karl cried, rushing toward them with inhuman speed. "I won't allow you!"

Haji immediately carried Kai with one arm and hoisted him over his shoulder like a rag doll, took the cello case in his other hand, and quickly sprung from his spot before Karl could slam them. Karl failed in harming them, and instead slammed the ground where they once stood. Cracks appeared from the strength of his arms.

"Put me down!" Kai cried angrily, struggling to free himself as Haji bounded for a safe spot. "Put me down, dammit!" But the Chevalier's grip on his torso was vise-like and impossible for him to free himself from.

Haji stared at his mistress. "Saya…"

"Go," Saya said, though her voice was filled with reluctance as well, thick with sudden emotion. "And that's an order…"

"Hey, wait," Kai said, alarmed when he felt Haji's shoulders tense.

Wordlessly, Haji sprung up a building.

"Wait!" Kai cried, seeing the things on the ground grow smaller as they were in midair. "No! Wait! You can't leave Saya just like that!" He saw a sad smile on Saya's face as she looked up at him. He held his hand out to her. "Saya!" The girl below shook her head. "No… You can't…" His eyes burned. "SAYA!"

-ns-

"No!" Karl roared in rage. He lifted his arm toward the two in attempt to release another barrage of spikes, but Saya tackled him on the shoulder, making him release the spikes to the wrong direction. The Phantom swore harshly and turned to her. "You…" he advanced toward her. "If not for you, I would have killed them!"

Saya stepped back and was not aware that she was close to a building.

Roaring, Karl released a barrage of spikes at her, and she tried to deflect them. However every movement sent sheer pain tearing through her torso, and as a result, she was unable to defend herself properly. The stakes cut across her skin and she tried instead to step back to evade the attacks instead. She realized her back was pressing against the wall of a building, and before she knew it, the rest of the spikes impaled her.

Saya cried out in pain as five more spikes ran through her. One got her on the torso again, another on the chest, two on the legs, and one in the arm.

The spikes pinned her to the wall, and she was rendered helpless. She tried to move to free herself, but the pain did not allow her to make a move any more from a twitch of the finger.

"Now," Karl said with satisfaction, his anger quickly dying down. "You're bound by your own foolishness." He approached her. "How about I play with you a bit while you stand still for me?"

He came forward and reached for her face with a claw. But a voice intervened, "Don't touch her."

Karl froze when he recognized the voice, and quickly stepped back, lowering his head respectfully. "If that is what you wish."

-ns-

Blood stained her clothes. It flowed down the spike's handle and dripped slowly on the floor.

Saya lowered her head and stared at the ground. She recognized the voice as well, and dreaded to see her face. But what was there to do? She couldn't move, couldn't go anywhere even if she wanted to, couldn't disappear.

She heard the footsteps slowly walk to her direction. She could hear the distinct _click_ of her sandals as the heels hit the ground. It wasn't too soon when she saw a pair of feet step into her field of vision; still, she didn't dare look up. She _couldn't _look up.

Moments ago, she was determined to fight for Kai and the rest, and was even happy when she saw them leave. But then, when _she _was there, standing right before her, those feelings were immediately replaced with guilt and shame.

What was she going to do to her?

_She hates me… _Saya thought bitterly, closing her eyes and awaiting punishment. _It's so obvious..._

A pale hand reached out and held a stake. Wordlessly, it was pulled out. Pain tore through her torso and Saya cried out in pain. The hand rested on yet another stake and it was pulled again without warning. It sent a stab of pain into her body, and she grimaced, uttering a sound she hardly recognized was hers.

Time didn't run long between the removal of one stake from another. As soon as one was pulled out, another would follow swiftly. The quick, forceful moves allowed the stakes to be pulled out smoothly and swiftly. However, the excruciating pain was too much for her to bear, and with each pull she suppressed her cries by biting down on her lip.

Soon she was free from the spikes, but the pain was still there, and blood continually spilled and formed into a small, crimson puddle. Weakly, she leaned on the wall, sank to her knees and remained motionless, head still hung low in shame.

Then, to Saya's dismay, 'she' knelt before her. She awaited a painful slap, but was startled when 'she' placed a delicate hand on her cheek. Then, unexpectedly, the hand made her face her directly. But Saya still refused to look into her face, see that expression. She averted her gaze, trying to look away, trying so hard not to gaze into those deep blue eyes. Her eyes suddenly burned, but she strived to hold the tears back, strived not to look like a weakling in front of her. She was a disgrace and that in itself was a serious matter. She didn't want to appear any worse.

But the hand that touched her cheek ran down to her jaw and held her chin. Finally, Saya took one glace, looked into those blue eyes, saw that it was cold and looked away. She saw that her face was blank, devoid of any emotion.

"Why…onee-chan…?" Diva asked in painful slowness, her voice unfeeling and cold.

It was the question she couldn't answer, the most difficult question. A lump filled her throat.

The next few moments passed in silence.

Saya tried to hold back the tears. But the more she did, the more her eyes burned, and the closer she was to crying. She tried to keep silent, but her lips quivered. She bit down on her lip again, struggling to hold it down. The lump in her throat turned more painful.

Finally, a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Saya closed her eyes, and all the emotions flooded out. Then she sobbed into her hands, hid her face from the rest of them, hid her shame.

"I only wanted to protect them…!" she managed to answer.

There was another moment of silence.

"You promised to protect me," Diva began. Saya's breathing was ragged due to emotion. "You promised me—"

"I know that!" Saya blurted out. The younger twin was taken by surprise. "I know that…" Saya repeated softly, weakly, her voice trembling.

"If you knew that, then why?" the younger twin snapped, suddenly enraged. "Why did you fight on their side? Why did you abandon me? Why, onee-chan?" There was something different in her voice. A small, hidden emotion behind the anger. A small…twinge of pain.

"Because I…" Saya didn't know what to say. She had the answer, she _knew _the answer. "I…" But something was preventing her from giving her answer, her reason. "I don't know…!" she answered instead. "I don't know! I don't know!" she repeated.

"Liar!" Diva cried. "You broke your promise, onee-chan! You _lied_ to me!"

Diva's words stung her heart, and she felt the pain in her throat tighten, each breath a gasp. She wasn't able to say anything.

"You betrayed me…" Diva's voice suddenly dropped into a low, strange tone. She stood up and turned her back against her. The moment she did, Saya glimpsed something shining on her cheek.

"Once that boy comes back," Diva said, her voice emotionless once more, "I will make sure it will be his last time to see you…" That being said, she walked to Amshel, who had been standing at a respectful distance. The old Chevalier glanced back at Saya, his gaze piercing and his lips pulled back in a small snarl.

Saya lowered her head once more, and a fresh line of tears flowed out as she squeezed her eyes shut. So many emotions coursed through her weak body, and so many thoughts bothered her mind.

But the most painful and disturbing of all was that small tear she saw rolling down her younger sister's cheek.

* * *

'_Is this what you call a battle scene?'_

_Yes. Yes it is. But hey, I worked really hard to make the effin' battles appear realistic, alright?_

_There's my answer if ever you thought of a similar question. Satisfied? I sure hope you are._

_And you know, the more pressure I receive, the worse my story gets. My story is bad enough, so I was hoping you wouldn't be…well let's say too much 'expectant, if I got the correct term._

_That's all I could say, though I didn't intend to offend anyone (if anyone was ever offended, that is)._

_Must I remind you of the review? _

_Hey, what do you know! I just did! _

_So there you have it, folks! Bye for now!_


	27. Chapter 23: Tearstains Part I

_So it turned out to be the real thing. I really _had _chicken pox. I could say that the sickness (is 'sickness' the correct term?) kind of wore my enthusiasm for writing. The only time I started writing a new chapter was perhaps a week ago…I think. Sorry if I had the readers (if there are still any) waiting. _

_The chapter is still long—I made sure of that. But it's kind of two pages short, compared to the previous one. I'm really sorry. I cut this into two parts for various reasons, and I'll have you know I went through careful deciding._

* * *

Chapter XXIII

Tearstains

-Part I-

Silence was all that filled the little space, other than the low hum of the engine, as the car made its way down the dark streets. Five of them, dark vehicles, racing down the road in a neat line. The injured director was placed in the third car where it was deemed safest, accompanied by two men from the medical team who had applied first aid in order to lessen the bleeding from his injury.

The sights outside were something to behold, but Kai ignored them, paying much more attention to the thoughts flying in his head. Several thoughts, like how late it was. He was oblivious to his own injuries, despite the pain, and which should have been taken care off lest it take in more serious situations like infection. He might have thought of the pain for a few moments, wincing at the realization, but then it was forgotten once more when his attention turned to a certain statue he happened to see through the window. Peculiar, he thought, then it once more shifted to something of utmost importance which, of course, was the mission he, David and the rest had engaged in.

He would have recalled the terror of fighting the armored Chiropteran, but he was used to fighting Chiropterans. The only difference was that one was smart, was a Chevalier, and was irksomely hard to fight. He closed his eyes, feeling the effects of having to battle such creatures. Sleep was close to taking over, but he was too troubled to let himself go. Not now. Not when they had lost the fight…not when he lost another chance off taking his sister back.

_Saya_, he said in his mind, and now she was the center of his thoughts. Saya with a sword. Saya fighting for them. Saya trying so hard to protect them. He had seen her, was able to talk to her, shouting his refusal to leave her side while she fought the foul Chevalier whom he learned was named Karl. He had seen her, yes, but with a sword, with the dangerous blood-red eyes, with the frown on her lips. She was covered in her blood, was struggling to protect him. When he wanted to see her, he wanted to see her smiling, looking like any normal girl with a normal, happy life. Not some blood-covered monster he saw in her eyes. But she wouldn't be covered in blood by then, wouldn't be fighting with that gleaming sword which hungered for blood, had they not engaged in battle in the first place.

Suddenly he felt as if the whole thing was his fault. _If I did things right, _he thought miserably, _maybe Saya would be with me right now…or at least she wouldn't have suffered a battle. _A great pain grew in his chest, threatening to squeeze out tears, but now his own belief that it was his fault Saya had to fight and get injured for it kindled anger, anger which soon overcame his sadness. Now he was filled with that emotion, with hatred at his own carelessness and stupidity.

There was agent beside him named John or Jake or something. He gave a concerned look at the young man and said mildly, "You okay, kid?"

"Huh?" The anger was obvious in his voice, and was burning in his eyes as well when he looked at him. "No, it's nothing, really," Kai lied, giving a wry smile, then slumping in his seat and frowning once more.

Taking it as a sign that he lay off, the agent gave a slight nod, smiling a bit to himself. _Must have been too much for him_, he thought.

-ns-

It was a dreamless sleep, no images, no nightmares, simply darkness. Darkness she herself wasn't aware of.

Swimming in total blackness, blackness close to oblivion itself, where everything was nothing, reduced to matter which was nonexistent. She was there, was almost there, heading straight into something she did not understand. There, she felt nothing, even when she did, she would never be aware because she wasn't even conscious.

_As she went on, images started to swirl around her. Scenes, blurry scenes appearing. Memories? She saw it brighten in the darkness and saw herself, or at least she thought it was her. A girl with a sword running down the streets, drenched in blood, blade glinting with savage hunger for kills. Then in a moment it was her who was running down those streets. She could see her own two feet running toward somewhere she knew not of. __Then she blinked and saw the girl, (or was it her?) lurching forward to a monster, raising her sword. A Chiropteran clad in armor; that was what deflected the blow from the girl. He swiped her, but she avoided it, and thrust her blade and caught it at the side. The monster gave a howl of pain, but it couldn't have hurt him, could it? He was armored; it was impossible…_

_But the monster who stood howling in pain wasn't the armored one anymore. Now it was a Chiropteran much smaller, with bluish skin and a large, bulky arm. __She recognized it. She knew him; she might have even known his name. But she couldn't remember and now it was forgotten when the two clashed heavily. The girl slashed at the air where his head had been a few seconds before, and now he reciprocated the attack by smashing her to the ground. Saya screamed, fearing for the girl's life, but now it was she who was fighting against the appendage. She was on one knee, raising her sword before her to keep the arm from crushing her to death. She looked at the Chiropteran's face, but it was shadowed. However there was still an eerie grin spread across his horrible face, revealing fangs capable of tearing mere human flesh apart. Capable of tearing her apart. _

_She couldn't let that happen. She said something she did not understand, and quickly rolled to the side, letting the arm smash the ground instead, which resulted to large cracks. The Chiropteran growled__ and headed for her. Saya raised her sword and—_

"_What are you doing exactly?" a voice asked with a hint of suppressed laughter. She looked around and realized she was about to hit a tree in front of her. She spun around to the origin of the voice and saw him._

"_Kai?"_

"_What?" Kai asked while smiling. "Is there something on my face? You look like you're seeing a handsome brother for the first time."_

"_Don't be ridiculous." She hid the blade behind her. They both stood on a hill in the midst of land which stretched far across. There were hardly any trees around other than the one she was about to hit. It was windy and clouds passed overhead in the blue sky. The tall green grass danced in the breeze, bending humbly with each blow._

"_It looks like you're hiding something," Kai stated._

"_No, it's nothing," Saya replied, then looked at her hand, but saw that it was empty. "My sword," she said, suddenly panicking._

"_Your what…?" Kai said in confusion. _

"_My sword," Saya repeated, looking around her._

"_You don't have one," Kai said. "C'mon, let's go." He turned to leave._

"_But I have to find my sword," Saya protested. "I have to find it!" Kai made one swift move at her and she looked down. She saw a blade, her blade...running through her chest to the other side. Blood quickly flowed out, flowing down the handle…to the hand. She looked back up at her brother's face._

"_Is this what you were looking for?" Kai asked, a strange grin spreading on his face. "Well, I found it for you." The grin widened._

"_Kai, what did you—__"_

—_sank her blade into his arm. The Chiropteran cried in pain and flung her to the side where she smashed against the wall and sank to her knees. She must have heard a few bones crack and the impact itself made large cracks on the wall. She shook her head to clear herself from the dizziness, but when she looked up, she saw the Chiropteran looming over her. He gave a growling sound similar to coughing. It was laughter; he was laughing at her weakness. And now he was going to kill her. She blinked and now from a short distance, she saw the girl or it might have been herself, on her knees, clutching her broken shoulder, helplessly watching the blue Chiropteran raise his arm to crush her and end her life._

_The girl lowered her head, gripped her blade and gave a cry as she thrust it forward to the Chiropteran before it could smash h__er. A bawl reached her ears; Saya opened her eyes and raised her head only to see her hand holding the blade which ran through the Chiropteran's abdomen. Blood poured down the blade, to her hand. She let go of the handle, and the Chiropteran staggered and fell back. She closed her eyes in order not to witness the horrible scene. But they snapped back open when a familiar voice reached her ears._

"_Onee-chan…"_

_She looked at the Chiropteran before her, but it wasn't the Chiropteran anymore. It was a girl who looked exactly like her, with the long, dark hair and the blue eyes._

_She was on her knees, bleeding and the blood had formed into a crimson puddle around her. She clutched the handle of the blade which impaled her in the torso, trying to pull it out, but failing. _

_Saya quickly ran to her side and knelt before her. "Diva…?" she said frantically. _

_The girl with the long hair looked at her with her deep blue eyes, eyes which reflected pain and fear and in the smallest tinge, hatred. "Why…onee-chan…?" Diva asked in painful slowness, her voice unfeeling and cold. _

_Saya drew back her breath. She knew the answer, it was there and she was about to say it. But her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and she couldn't say anything._

_Blood continued to flow, and the puddle grew wider. _

"_I…" Her lips quivered. "I don't know…"_

"_Liar!" Diva cried. "You broke your promise, onee-chan! You lied to me!"_

_The same words, the words she knew, the same words with the pain. She was unable to say anything. Again, she wasn't able to answer._

"_You betrayed me…" _

Her eyes fluttered open and the very first thing that came into view was the dark ceiling. But something wet was blurring her vision, and when she wiped it away, she was surprised to see that it was tears. _Why…do I feel so sad? _she asked herself. It didn't take anymore moments before she remembered what had occurred the previous night.

_Oh…that's right. _But something else was there, something else she needed to remember. She would have stayed there thinking as she usually did, but something moved slightly beside her. She looked to her side and saw her. She might have been looking at her own reflection, but this one was still asleep, and she was awake. Simple logic. It wasn't her; she wasn't the sleeping form curled smugly with her hair spilling on the pillow…

Seeing her disturbed her.

"_Why…onee-chan…?"_

Diva's voice, in that same tone, speaking in that same painful slowness resounded in her mind. Saya looked at Diva's face. The twin had such delicate features in sleep, she could hardly believe that this gentle-faced sister of hers could actually say those words: _"Liar!" Diva cried. "You broke your promise, onee-chan! You _lied_ to me!"_

Hearing them, resounding in her memory, made her throat tighten. She shook her head, as if to clear the memory away. _Stop, _she told herself. _You have to stop thinking too much. _She planted her feet on the floor and looked back at the younger twin and reached out to stroke her hair. _Diva…_she thought sadly. She didn't know what words to say. She just felt something, but couldn't express it. In the end, she just smiled and said softly, "Sleep well." The younger twin stirred slightly but did not awake.

It was still dark outside when Saya peered through the wide windows. But to the far east, she could see faint reddish light, the color of fire, climbing the sky. She headed to the personal bathroom she and Diva shared to get herself washed up a bit.

Staring at the mirror, she saw her own reflection. She saw a girl looking straight back at her with steady, red eyes. She had looked as if she hadn't slept for days, with small bags under her eyes. Her face was damp with tears. _I look so miserable_, she thought, frowning at herself. _After all that had happened… _She was unaware that she was thinking about the events from the previous night. _After what I had done… _She turned the faucet on and felt the cold water flow in her hands, about to lower her face to rinse herself. For a few moments she continued to look at herself, looking through those solemn, crimson eyes…

Suddenly, an image of Diva flashed before her, as if she were staring at her, ad if she were her reflection.

"_You betrayed me…"_

She was taken aback at the figure before her, but when she blinked, it was gone. She looked closely at the mirror, as if expecting the image to return, but nothing happened. She was simply looking at herself. It was still silent, but the rush of water from the faucet had filled the space.

Tears rolled out when she thought more about the words. But she tried to push the thoughts away, and washed her face, and gargled with some water before drying herself with a towel hanging nearby.

Saya left the bathroom and headed straight for the door. Taking one more glance at her sibling, she saw she was still fast asleep, and headed out, only to bump into someone.

"Solomon." Saya stared up solemnly at the young, blond man.

"Good morning," Solomon greeted cheerfully. The girl didn't seem to be in the mood, her expression sullen. "Do I have something on my face?" Solomon asked, smiling lightly. "I believe I groomed myself well enough."

What he told her were always funny, and she would laugh a bit. But now, not even a small curve appeared on her lips. She had nothing to say about it either.

"I wanted to check on you both," Solomon said. "It seems like you're fine."

_Seems…_Saya thought sullenly. His words, for some reason, bothered her. _It only seems like it, even when it's not. _Her moody thought might have been obvious on her expression because Solomon asked her with concern, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Saya lied, giving a crooked smile. She didn't notice that a small tear was forming at the edges of her eye.

Solomon may have been greatly disappointed at the decision she had made, but nevertheless, he didn't want to see her in such a depressed state. "I knew you'd probably get up to warm yourself this morning so I made a nice, bright fire for you downstairs." He smiled once more.

"I see." Saya lowered her head.

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No." Saya walked away. "Best to check on Diva first." _After all, I'm no longer worth your care. _She left the hallway and headed to the stairs.

She recalled the blank expression on his face during 'that' time. Seeing him smile to her after knowing what she had done against him was…annoying. Was it a fake? Was he giving a fake smile, making an act, making it seem as if everything was normal once more?

At least to her, it wasn't normal. And the smile, she didn't deserve a smile. In fact, she didn't even deserve a visit. _He probably wanted to check on Diva, not me_, she told herself. _I just happened to be in the same room as her, and he had no other choice and…_

Solomon somberly watched her leave. _Saya…_

-ns-

She peered at the area below from the top of the stairs. No one seemed to be there since it was quiet. She didn't want to see anyone else anyway. Seeing Solomon was bad enough. She didn't want to imagine bumping into someone else. As she went down, she felt that the air here was colder. She shivered when her bare feet touched the tiled floor. She had forgotten to wear her slippers, but she knew she'd feel warm when she got to the room.

Inside, the fire bathed the whole room in yellow. She sat in front of the fire, on the couch with the soft cushions and watched the dancing flames. Silence filled the space; she looked above the hearth and saw the two intercrossed sabers. She was dwelling in her memories again, during the time when she and Diva had their swordplay. As she thought about the entire scene, she could hear clangs echoing in the back of her head, as if she were witnessing the past battle. She had lost, Diva treated her with disdain and she responded coldly. How long had it been since then? Just two days ago. It was the gap, the gap that started everything. Had the gap widened, or had it narrowed? She didn't know. So many memories, so many questions… She didn't know what to think about.

She looked into the flames instead, watched them dance and listened to its rhythmic crackles. Somehow…somehow it comforted her. The warmth had somehow made her relax and now she was getting drowsy again. Her vision narrowed, and just when she was about to close her eyes, a voice made her snap out of her drowsiness,

"Sleep must not have been agreeable with you last night."

Saya turned and saw Nathan at the other end of the couch. The Chevalier had his eyes on a book he was reading. His unexpected presence surprised her for a few moments, but she was used to that. "No, I feel quite rested. The fire…just makes me a bit sleepy."

"I see." Nathan closed the book and looked back at her. "But I didn't think you would wake up at such an early hour."

"I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Nightmares, perhaps?"

Among the Chevaliers, it was Nathan who was the most open and easy to communicate with. She felt that revealing one thing wouldn't be so bad because he was open-minded, or that was at least what she saw in him. "Mm," she answered, nodding her head a bit like a child.

There were a few moments of silence.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know…" She felt a sudden rush of emotion, but restrained it. _Here it goes again… _At least it wasn't a lie anymore. She faced the fire. "I...I'm confused," she said softly.

"Confused by what, dear?" Nathan asked with a hint of concern.

_How could he act as if nothing had happened last night?__ He shouldn't be this way…not after what I did. Not after the horrible things that happened because of me. _Saya thought, disturbed greatly. _Why is he acting like Solomon, making it seem as if…as if it was all my fault…? _Ironically, their way of acting 'normal' was making Saya feel guiltier. _I don't understand… Why aren't you angry? Why don't you shout at me, shun me? You badly wanted to tear me apart right? After what I did… And yet—and yet you're right here…right here, in this room, beside me, _talking _to me…_

"I don't deserve your sympathy, right?" she said, forgetting his question. "I don't deserve any of it." Her voice was suddenly thick with emotion. "I don't deserve to sit here and enjoy the fire; in fact, I don't even deserve to stay here." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "So why…why are you acting as if I'm even worth your care?"

Nathan watched her with steady eyes. "I am in no position to answer that," he said solemnly. "But in my case, I do so because you are a Queen."

_So it's mere duty then? _Saya thought bitterly. _Not because he cares genuinely, but because I'm someone important. If I were someone else, then he wouldn't care any less, right? _She didn't voice any more of her thoughts. It was too much for her to bear. She was crying in front of him, but he made no move to comfort her. _It's natural that he wouldn't try to do so anyway…_

She quickly stood up, wiping her tears dry. "I'm sorry I bothered you with such disturbing thoughts," she managed to say, despite the lump in her throat. "I'll be leaving." She left at once, not looking back at him.

-ns-

He wasn't expecting such a sudden outburst. He couldn't do anything to improve her mood either. He lay back, watching the flames in silence.

"Goodness, Saya," Nathan said with a sigh. "I'm sure you knew the answer to your question. A Chevalier has no say in such matters." He returned to reading his book. "At least not anymore."

-ns-

Karl was asked to give report the situation of the Vietnam Branch from the said country at dawn. During the night previously, all Chevaliers were doing things of their own amusement. Nathan was in his own world of books; Solomon had decided to stay in the fireplace where he thought deeply; Amshel and James discussed things again (as they usually did); Karl himself had been outside, striving to control his rage, and the Chiropteran arm which worsened from twitching, to convulsing. It took him at least two hours before he could calm himself down, or the arm rather, and it was undeniably difficult for him.

But it was even more difficult—and not to mention annoying—for him to be called to a discussion. The group consisted of only him, Amshel and to his utter dismay, James, and when all three had gathered in the small room, the discussion followed immediately.

The discussion mainly composed of Cinq Fléches' further plans with the spreading of Delta 67 not only in wine, but other popular civilian food, as well as military rations. But other than that, there was also the discussion of the newly-made weapons, one which they called 'Corpse Corps' and they discussed how to take more advancements. Another important thing included were the plans of how to strengthen ties with countries not only in Europe, but those as well in the other continents, especially Asia.

Karl wished he could have fallen asleep, but being a Chevalier, he was unable to, and thus had no choice but to listen to the whole thing, from dawn 'till five in the morning. He did not say much, gave rather dull suggestions, made dry remarks or otherwise allowed his mind to wander, which clearly showed his disinterest in the whole matter. He much preferred to think about Saya. His beloved, yet hateful Saya. His Saya drenched in her own blood, striving desperately to fight him whereas he had gained the upperhand and had dressed her in fatal injuries, his masterpiece. He could have gone on, hours and hours just thinking about her, but his thoughts were always interrupted by Amshel and James.

And finally, after all the trivial nonsense, after hours and hours of discussing, he was told to report. He had brought a file with him, and presented it to Amshel before giving details on what had been going on, and how he had worked with the projects which were duly given for him to accomplish. But no, it wasn't enough, because right after he had finished his report, he was asked questions. He answered them, but it did not seem to satisfy the old Chevalier as he asked more questions, which annoyed him. What's more, James was there as well in the room, listening attentively. The black bastard was even daring enough to ask his own questions and give rather imperious remarks. Then the topic suddenly shifted to his sudden arrival in London.

"You have presented to me fine results," Amshel said, "but that does not excuse you for coming here without my permission."

"I wouldn't even bother to visit you," Karl retorted dryly. "I only came for Diva."

"And Diva it only is?"

"Of course," Karl snapped.

"Far from the truth," James huffed, folding his arms.

Karl glared at him, but returned his gaze to Amshel, whose expression was still austere and sour. "You still have duties, do you not?" Amshel asked grimly.

"I have accomplished what you had asked, and duties I have left are simple and light."

"If that's the case, I'll be assigning you another task," Amshel said. "So you would not waste your time dawdling like a fool."

"And how about you?" Karl said, lips pulled in a small snarl. "Haven't you been spending these past few days with Diva?"

"I was merely looking after her."

"Of course," Karl said, his voice low. "You're a Chevalier obviously. And so am I. You're far off from your other 'duties', as I am. So it makes no difference." He turned his back on them and headed for the door. "Therefore," he said before leaving, "before you question my presence, try considering yourself first." He unbolted the door and went out, "Perhaps you would be able to find the answers without having to bother me." And with that, he slammed the door shut.

Momentary silence ensued.

"You're not going to let him get away with that, are you?" James asked, clearly enraged.

"I am."

James looked at him, astounded. "He doesn't even deserve to show himself to the rest of us."

"No." Again, the black American was baffled. "Let him be."

"_According to Diva, we are not to mention anything of what had happened last night," Amshel said grimly, clasping his hands behind him as he stood before the large window which overlooked the city which stood far away, bright against the dark sky._

_The rest of them Chevaliers were there listening. Even Karl was present in the room._

"_But nii-san," Solomon began, "there's no doubt that she'd ask about it tomorrow."_

"_Pretend nothing happened," Amshel replied simply. "Whatever she asks concerning that matter is not yours to answer. Neither is it mine, or any of us Chevaliers."_

_Karl grunted, finding the whole matter ridiculous. "It's almost as if you're asking us not to fight in the midst of a battle."_

"_We are in no battle, Karl, I must remind you," Amshel returned dryly. "Unless you are willing to get involved into one now, then that is of no problem."_

"_No, I do not wish to engage in child's play," Karl retorted. "But thank you for the offer." He spoke as if he were hissing defiance against the elder Chevalier._

_Amshel said nothing, just took in a deep breath, and remained silent, no longer wishing to further the arising dispute. _

Truly, to him, the arrogant Chevalier was no more than a skirmisher, like a senseless child wanting to get into fights. He would have to train this one to submission for his insolence. But perhaps now wasn't the time, even though sometimes he just felt like clobbering him. It may not seem like the act of a proper gentleman, so he was going to deal with this one 'appropriately'. In his own way, that is.

-ns-

_Damn_, Karl swore harshly, gritting his teeth in anger. He was walking through the hallway by then._ He couldn't say anything against me_, he thought, his scowl suddenly altering to an amused smile. _He couldn't deny it, could he? _He chuckled. _How ridiculous._

Fortunately, he was able to hold his temper down; otherwise he'd be causing disputes. _Or get involved in one_, he thought with a snort, knowing he had been deliberately provoked. He had been submissive, despite his unwillingness. He was able to tolerate it, both Amshel and James' little 'chat' with him. He was able to keep his cool _and _give an answer Amshel himself no longer questioned. He preferred some violence though, since all throughout those wretched hours of verbal torment and underlying mockery, his arm had been twitching. But he was wise enough to decide not to lay a finger on Amshel, at least not now.

Now Karl had left the corridor and was off to another one which stretched to the other end of the mansion. He was thinking of what had been the expression on Amshel's face by then. Doubtless, he would still have that sour expression across his face, and perchance it had deepened those lines of disapproval, or irritation, rather. And his little brother James would be trembling with anger by now. He especially wanted to see _his _irked expression. But the mere thought was enough; he didn't have to see it when he already knew the outcome of his verbal 'triumph'.

So deep were his thoughts that he had not noticed that a certain girl was headed off to his direction. The girl, too, had not been aware for her head was lowered, and her eyes were blinded by tears. The moment of contact came when they bumped into each other.

"Watch it," Karl snarled, immediately cut off from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw that it was Saya who had ran into him.

"Sorry," Saya apologized softly, head still lowered. Her voice was laced with evident emotion when she spoke. Before Karl could say anything or react further to her situation, Saya ran past him, up to the staircase. In a few moments, she was gone.

_What's wrong with her? _he asked himself, then suddenly remembering what had occurred the previous night. He had actually forgotten it during the discussion with Amshel and James, distracted by anger. He even forgot Saya in those wee hours of the morning, consumed by other thoughts when he had left Amshel and James to their nonsense, feeling grand over the fact that Amshel had not answered anymore to his reply.

But now he remembered. He watched her, or the place where she had been a few moments before rather, his mouth slightly agape in absolute wonder. _Why do you weep Saya? _he asked, as if expecting an answer from her. But no answer came. Recovering from his surprise, he felt red anger swell in his very core. _What right do you have to cry your foolish tears_, he thought, his fists trembling vehemently, and his arm twitching once again, _when you're not the only one in pain? _His eyes narrowed. _Must I cry as well…?_

-ns-

She had not known that it was Karl she had bumped into. She was much too absorbed in her own feelings and his overwhelming presence hardly caught her attention. She vaguely realized his presence only when she was climbing the stairs, when she had not seen the vexation in his eyes as he watched her leave him.

And now she stood before the entrance to her bedroom, panting, shaking from the strength of her emotions. Why she had gone here, she did not know. Some part of her lead her here, where perhaps half of herself was, half of her heart.

Saya was about to reach for the doorknob, but stopped dead when she heard voices speaking in low tones from inside.

"…does it have to be that way?"

_Solomon?_

"Saya-neesama has been acting strangely ever since we came here," a voice replied.

_Diva…_

"She practiced with a weapon behind my back," the voice went on resentfully. "And she even went so far so as to fight to protect those humans."

"How do you see it?" she heard Solomon ask slowly. "Does it seem like an act of rebellion?"

"It's more than a rebellion…"

_Betrayal_, Saya finished ruefully.

"If she wanted to return so badly…" There was a pause. "Then I should just kill those humans, especially 'that' boy." Saya's eyes stretched wide in shock. "That way, she would have no one to return to."

It sounded so unreal for a moment, so unreal that Saya stood there like a statue, trying to analyze what Diva had said. The rest of the conversation between Solomon and Diva no longer mattered to her; she wasn't listening anymore. _It was just idle talk, right? _She thought frantically. _She wouldn't take it so seriously… _But knowing what she did, knowing she had done the worst thing she could do, or for the moment, Diva could do the same as retaliation. Deep inside, she knew, she _really_ knew that Diva meant it.

Within those terrible moments, her mind was blank as a sheet of paper. But when she heard the unbolting of the doorknob, without thinking, she quickly left the area, feet thudding against the smooth, wooden floor.

Minutes passed by.

The door opened, and Solomon stepped out. He looked around, puzzled. Diva came out beside him.

"Saya-neesama was listening, wasn't she?"

-ns-

Now she run back down the stairs, and thankfully no one else was around. Karl was nowhere to be seen, or Nathan or—

She saw James standing in the middle of the hallway, with Amshel. They saw her as well.

"Hey!" James cried angrily.

Instead of going to them, she headed for the opposite hallway, her bare feet making small noises as it slapped against the tiles.

"Where do you think you're going?" she heard the dark Chevalier cry, but ignored it. She felt him go after her, and her heart raced. She was faster though, and in a moment, she had entered a room, and turned the lock before she felt a slam on the door.

"Get out of there _now_!" she heard James' voice yell angrily from outside. "Get out I say!" He continued to shout things at her, demanding she come out of the room, but she was no longer listening. Oblivious to his potential threats, she leaned against the door and sank hopelessly to her knees.

"_If she wanted to return so badly…" There was a pause. _Saya wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face into the small space._ "Then I should just kill those humans, especially 'that' boy." _The banging outside continued, but she ignored it, sobbing silently, drowning herself in her own misery._ "That way, she would have no one to return to."_

-ns-

"You know I could destroy this door," James warned, "so get out of there now before it's too late!" His cries were useless and he knew the girl inside probably wasn't listening to him, and never planned to. Losing his temper, he raised his fist in the air, attempting to break the door, but before his appendage could land on the entrance, a hand caught his.

"You know Diva would not be pleased," Amshel stated dryly, holding his arm effortlessly, "if you tried to do anything to Saya."

"I can no longer tolerate her!" James answered hotheadedly, pulling his arm away from his grip. "Her acts are unforgivable! Do you even think she has the right to live, after jeopardizing our lives in an effort to save _those _humans?" From inside, Saya could hear him clearly. His every word made her flinch; she tightened her hug around her knees. "She's a threat to Diva, can't you see that?"

His uproar easily caught the attention of the others. Nathan came out from his room nearby, still holding a pocketbook he had been reading. "Goodness, what is all this commotion about?" he asked.

"You defy Diva's orders," Amshel merely answered to James. "Did I not tell you to act normally and not speak of the matter?"

"This is no play, and we are no actors in the stage!"

"This _was _an order, and we are Chevaliers to follow them," Amshel returned. "Or do you wish to go against what Diva has commanded?" His vision narrowed dangerously at the younger Chevalier.

Karl had soon appeared by then, wondering what was happening after hearing the angry shouts and slams of James. He knew it was linked to Saya when he heard her name being shouted. He saw the two Chevaliers from a while ago, facing each other in what appeared to be a dispute. This piqued his interest; he decided to stay and see the outcome, half-expecting a fight which he may enjoy watching. But of course, he was also thinking of Saya, thinking of what might happen to her next after the trouble that she had caused, or had got _involved _in, so it seemed.

"And as a Chevalier, what do you see is right?" James argued. He pointed at the door. "The only threat to Diva's life and the only person who can foil our plans is in _there_!"

"You know I would have done something about it if I was told to."

"Do you still wait to be told before engaging in action which is right?" James said. "Do you still wait for this chance to slip away before you end up regretting you wished you should have done something while it still stood there before you?"

"I will feel more regret for disobeying my Queen," was the pious reply, and at this, James was taken aback. "And I'm sure you would regret this as well, if you will not stop this nonsense."

"Oh my," Nathan said, his expression more of amusement than surprise.

"This is _not_ nonsense," James growled. "Have you no ears? Don't you understand what you're saying?"

"It is _you _who does not have the ears, James," Amshel replied severely. "You failed to follow what Diva has told us; you do not seem to understand what this is all about." Tired of having to argue with another Chevalier, he made himself appear intimidating, his eyes glinting with threat. There might even have been a low, menacing growl at the back of his throat, the growl of a Chiropteran.

James, though intimidated, was about to answer back, but was interrupted by another voice.

"What is this all about?"

James turned, then his eyes softened, and he lowered his head respectfully. "Diva…" his tone turned milder as well. "Saya , she—"

"You wanted to harm onee-sama?" Diva finished for him. Behind her, Solomon stood, listening in silence.

"Diva," James was caught off-guard. "I merely wanted to fulfill my duty. Saya is—"

"—my responsibility," Diva cut in. Hearing this, everyone was surprised. The girl huddled inside the room reacted slightly. "You're becoming a disobedient child, James, and you know I simply _hate _disobedient children," Diva continued scornfully.

"F-forgive me, Diva." In a few moments, the proud, stubborn Chevalier was humbly kneeling before the blue-eyed Queen. "I never wanted to disappoint you. Please accept my apology."

"I will deal with onee-sama," Diva said dryly, gazing down at him with cold eyes, ignoring his apology. "That is no longer your business."

"Of course," James agreed readily, inclining his head. Without saying anymore, Diva left at once, leaving everyone of her Chevaliers to stare after her in wonder. Her aura, cold and uninviting, clearly said that she be left alone.

"Wait, Diva," Solomon said, making the girl stop walking. "What will we do with Saya?"

"Leave her alone." With that, the younger twin blurred out of sight.

* * *

_Hmm… Are there aftereffects in chicken pox? 'Cause I feel that this chapter's duller than usual._

_See? Everyone's sad, or otherwise angry. _

_I wish there weren't any errors 'cause no matter how many times I read the chapter, I fail to see that little mistake, which is annoying since other people could easily spot it. _

_It must be the flaws of human imperfection… Yeah, that's probably it. _

_Review please!_


	28. Chapter 23: Tearstains Part II

_So…it must have been two weeks since the last update, huh? And you must be wondering why it had been so long. Some people tried to get in the way…so that may be one reason. It's not an excuse, alright?_

_Okay, so to make up for not updating for almost half a month, I made it long—REALLY, really long. The first part's about—yep, you got it: Kai. Oh, but don't worry. It's not entirely about him. A little patience is what I ask if you're going to read this._

_Is that okay? Of _course _it is!_

* * *

Chapter XXIII

Tearstains

-Part II-

His eyes snapped open at the memory. It was the terrible memory of losing her. Losing her whom he proudly called his sister, a part of his family. He looked up, was just staring at the ceiling early in the dawn the way 'she' did.

That terrible memory, the memory of the face which he recognized as his sister's, stained with blood and darkened by anger. And those lips, ordering him to leave when he couldn't, because he had to take her back, because she was his sister. Those eyes once filled with happiness, now glowing with anger, with fear. Those hands, which held nothing else but food, held a tool designed to take away lives, stained crimson as well.

He leaned on his side, facing the wall. He was in a comfortable room complete with a mattress, dresser, nightstand, closet, bookshelf, desk and chair. The city lights shimmered through the window, providing dim light for the room.

He was recalling the whole battle, hearing the gunshots inside his head, the angry shouts, pained cries, replaying the scenes in his mind. It had happened so fast that he could hardly understand what he had remembered. The only thing which was clear, which made sense to him was 'her' smile. But clear as it was, the pain was also there to remind him of his failure.

A smile was supposed to make people happy. That's what he thought. The smile he received was different, altering his supposed happiness into the exact opposite. It was given to him at the wrong time, at the wrong place, because during that time, she was defending him and they—her Chevalier and he—were going to leave. She was left behind, and even when he strived, did all he could to call her to come back, she couldn't. Even when they were in midair and it was impossible for her to come, even when it hurt so much to part, she was still looking up, giving him the smile which said everything: I cannot come back. Even she was far below and he still extended a hand toward her, still pathetically calling her to come, she shook her head in that same sad motion.

Even when he tried so hard, he could never bring her back.

He felt a sudden wave of sadness and his eyes burned, threatening to squeeze out those pathetic tears he dared not cry. In an effort to stop himself from crying, he slammed his fist against the wall, pouring all the flooding emotions into that hand of his as it connected with the wall and created a low _thud_. He was about to slam another fist, but a muffled voice cried angrily from the other room, startling him,

"Kai! It's five in the morning!" He recognized the angry voice as Mao's.

"Sorry," he said in a normal tone, not bothering to consider whether his apology was heard or not from the other side.

"You know I had enough dealing with the stupid cameraman," Mao continued, which clearly meant that she had not heard him, "you don't have to make more effing problems!"

"Okay, Mao, I'm sorry," Kai said, louder this time. But it still wasn't loud enough.

"I don't want to have wrinkles, you hear me?" Mao went on. "I do NOT want to end up looking like David!"

"Okay, Mao, I said I'm SORRY!" Kai cried irritably, loud enough to disturb the rest.

"What's with the noise?" came another voice. It was Okamura.

Kai didn't want to get up from bed. His body still ached sorely, and he hated to leave the warm comfortable mattress. And he didn't want to stop remembering, even when it pained him so much. He had no choice though; he had to explain the whole thing to Okamura before a misunderstanding arose.

He opened the door the same moment Mao did. They stayed in rooms next to each other in a small corridor. He wondered, why of all the people, he had to stay next to her.

"We could hear you two shouting from the living room," Okamura stated. "And the rest aren't too happy hearing it."

"It was his fault," Mao said, looking at Kai accusingly, folding her arms. She was in her PJs, and her hair was quite messy.

"What?" Kai said indignantly. "Well, it had nothing to do with you anyway!"

"I was sleeping and your stupid tantrums woke me up!"

"Sorry for having to ruin your beauty rest," Kai apologized sarcastically.

"If you're going to say it that way, don't even bother apologizing!" Mao said, frowning.

"Then I take back what I said!"

"I'm used to your crappy attitude," Mao said, enraged, "but since when were you such a jerk?" She stormed back inside her room slamming the door behind her.

"You owe me an apology for calling me stupid!" Okamura called after her.

"Shut up, you stinky rat!" came a reply from inside.

"Stinky rat?" Okamura sniffed himself. "I'll have you know I just had my bath!" Just as he turned to face Kai, the young man had entered his room, closing the door behind him and slamming it, though not as hard as Mao had.

"Crap," Kai muttered irritably, glaring at the ceiling. He was once again lying back in his mattress, thinking. _She wouldn't understand at all_, he thought to himself. _She wouldn't understand what I have to go through..._ He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt them burn. "…for losing Saya," he said softly.

-ns-

It was 6:52 AM when he decided to leave his room. He had fallen asleep without realizing it, but when he awoke, he figured there was not much to do in bed. At least it wore his irritation away.

As he left his room, he told himself that thinking too much of the past was…bad. On the way to the dining room, he saw Haji watching the city through the wide glass. The sky was already bright by then, but still no sun. Below, were the light of the heavens was not yet strong enough to brighten, the streetlights were still on.

"You're not going to have some breakfast?" Kai asked the Chevalier.

"No," the Chevalier answered without turning to face him. The answer said everything: he didn't want to eat.

"Alright," Kai said, leaving him to watch the rest of the time. "I'm going ahead." He didn't wait for an answer, nor did he expect one, so he left.

-ns-

"Good morning, Kai," Julia greeted warmly, giving her usual, light smile when Kai came in the dining room.

"Ah, mornin'," Kai greeted back, forcing a smile. He saw that Julia was seated with David and Okamura around the table. They all had cups of coffee, which still gave off small wisps of smoke. He had heard them talking while he was headed to the dining room, but in his presence, they seemed to stop. It bothered him slightly. He remembered something. "How is Joel doing?"

"Right after the immediate operation, they assured us that he will be doing fine," David answered.

"Though it will take a while before he could be well enough to return to his duties," Julia added beside him.

"I see." Kai headed to the kitchen where he saw Mao helping Lewis cook some breakfast. His appearance quickly caught Lewis' attention. Mao ignored his presence.

"Mornin', Kai," Lewis said cheerfully. He turned to Mao, who was beating some eggs. "Yes, that's how you do it," he told her, giving her a smile of approval. "So you're hungry?" he asked Kai.

"No," Kai answered. "Not yet."

"Well, in any case, Mao here will be serving you omelet for breakfast. Isn't that right, Mao?" He turned to the teenage girl, who merely frowned.

"I'd rather feed a street dog," Mao replied, facing another way.

Lewis gave Kai a questioning look, and Kai sighed and said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "Hey, uh, Mao, I'm sorry I said all those stuff. I didn't mean what I said."

"You better apologize for being a jerk the whole time," Mao answered. She faced him, smiling lightly. "But as I said, you're always a jerk, so there's no helping it."

Kai didn't expect that she'd forgive him so easily. But she accepted his apology, and that was all that mattered.

-ns-

Breakfast was fine and the conversation was enjoyable. Though throughout the hour, Kai was distracted by his thoughts again, staring down blankly at his half-eaten omelet and moving it around on his plate with his fork. _I wonder what Saya is doing right now_, he thought.

Meanwhile, Mao had been watching him all throughout breakfast, seeing his rather solemn expression. Kai had not noticed it though.

"You know it took me some time to make that," Mao told him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Huh?" Kai looked up from his plate at her. "Were you saying something?"

"Maybe you should start making breakfast on your own."

"What do you mean?" Kai looked down at his plate and realized that he had been playing around with his food. "Oh. Sorry about that," he apologized. He looked sideways, avoiding everyone's curious gazes. Before anyone else could react, he stood up, clearing his throat a bit to cut the silence. "Thanks for the breakfast. Mao, I'll be eating this later, so kindly just keep it for me 'till I get back."

He left the table at once and just as he was about to leave the doorway, David asked, "And where is it you're going?"

"Somewhere where I could think things through," Kai answered before leaving. He left everyone to stare after him in wonder. He headed back to his room, past the living room where he could see the light from the first rays of the sun shine, brightening the gloomy sky. He went inside his room, did all the things he had to do, before dressing into new clothes and heading out. He took one last look through the wide glass where the Chevalier was previously standing, then left the place, taking an elevator to the main floor.

-ns-

Leaving the building, he walked down the street, shoving his hands in his pockets in a rather surly manner. He couldn't stay with anyone when his thoughts were bothering him so much. But he much preferred this, though. He didn't feel like being with any of them. He knew they didn't want him around either. So it was best that he leave and go somewhere. He didn't know where. Just somewhere…

It was still quite early, and he could still feel the chill of the morning air. But although it was early, the city was already busy, buzzing with all sorts of people. He walked among them, among these people, these busy people. These busy people who never knew he had failed once more to take his sister back. He didn't want them to know anyway.

_Saya,_ he thought solemnly. He stood at edge of the road, attempting to cross the street where there was a pedestrian lane. _Does it pain you as well to be left behind..? _The people with him began to cross the road when the signal came, and he followed. _Did you want to come back? _As if in answer, his mind flashed with the memory of him in the air, being held by Haji, while Saya was left below. She was smiling so sadly, and when he reached out to her, she shook her head.

_I cannot come back._

A honk of a car startled him, and when he came back to himself, he realized he was left still standing in the middle of the road. The traffic light was green, and the other vehicles were honking noisily.

"Hey! Can't you see you're in the way, boy?" a driver cried angrily, honking once more. "I'm a busy man!"

"S-Sorry!" At once, Kai crossed the rest of the way, allowing the vehicles to finally drive down the road. He heard the other drivers speak to him, chiding him for a few moments before driving off. When he reached the other side, there was a small crowd of people watching him in astonishment. He ignored their stares and continued to walk down the paved path, acting like nothing had happened.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself, cursing himself for his stupidity. Again, it was because of his carelessness that it had happened. Because of his carelessness, he lost 'her'. "Idiot," he told himself several times. The people who passed by him and had heard him grumbling things to himself, glanced back at him in wonder, or otherwise worry.

Kai didn't know what there was to do. He was walking continually without knowing where he was supposed to go. It's better than staying at home with all of them at least, he told himself. Besides, they're having a 'conversation' where I'm not welcome. "Tch." _Since when was I welcome to anything? I get to have my way 'cause I force it_, a part of him pointed out. "Yeah," he agreed, unaware that he was talking aloud. "I sure force my way around here." A young man who happened to pass by and hear him, glanced back.

_That boy's high today_, he thought, shrugging.

-ns-

For hours, he walked, taking no notice of how far he had gone, or where he was exactly. His attention was diverted to the statues and the buildings he happened to pass by. He gazed up at them in wonder; in fact, this must have been one of those rare times when he had appreciated something completely. Perhaps there were not much to occupy his mind, though some thoughts constantly bothered him. Breezes blew constantly by.

Lately, he had been staying with everyone in that room twenty-three stories high. If he went to any other place, it was back at HQ, where all they did was have meetings, or discussions. If he left the building, he'd only do so to buy some groceries from a nearby store. There was nowhere else he could go to, being busy these past few days. The mission, or failure, he preferred to call it, had somehow brought up that sick feeling of being in company with Mao, David and the rest.

But now, when there was nothing to do, when everyone was too busy entertaining that we-have-failed spirit, he decided to leave them, to walk around a bit before returning to that stuffy room filled with grumpy grown-ups and a teenager who kept on nagging him like the rest. At least, he thought, as he crossed the street, carefully paying attention to his surroundings. At least I could familiarize myself with London. After all, we won't be staying here for too long…

_Not__ until I get Saya back._

He had wandered in the city in what seemed to be hours, and was then feeling the effects of having to walk for such an extended period of time without rest. It must have been 12:00 PM by then. Just as he was growing hungry, a tall department store stood before him from the other side of the street. They might have something worth eating which could fill his empty stomach, and it looked quite attractive, so he crossed the street and went through the entrance. Just before he entered, it was only then for a few moments that he noticed that clouds were accumulating in the sky, blocking the warm rays of the sun and placing the entire city in a gloomy weather.

People filled the whole area, he noticed. After all, it was Harrods. And it looked surprisingly fancy inside. He went up to some food stalls selling neat pastries and looked through the glass, searching for a worthwhile treat.

"_Kai," Saya called as she stood a short distance from him, in front of a small stall selling bread and the like._

"_What is it?" Kai asked._

"_I want to taste this," Saya said as he came to her side. She pointed at a large cupcake decorated attractively with strawberries._

"_But it says that it cost sixty-eight yen, Saya," Kai replied. "I only have seventy here."_

"_Aww," Saya frowned in dismay, which looked kind of cute to him. "Please Kai? Only this once. I won't ever ask you to buy food for me again. I promise."_

"_Oh alright," Kai sighed, taking out his wallet. "But I doubt you'd be able to keep your promise."_

"_Watch me!" _

Kai spotted a cake which looked similar to what he had seen before. It had a large sliced strawberry in the middle, adorned with little fruits pieces at the edges. He looked at the price beside it and was shocked. _Five pounds! How the hell could it be that freakin' expensive?_

He knew he had only less than fifty pounds in his wallet, a thousand yen, and ten dollars. It would be considered quite a great deal of money—he was sometimes overwhelmed to realize he had more than what he had thought—but still, it gave him no reason to be a spendthrift. So deciding it was better to find something better and cheaper, he left the stall and wandered around a bit more.

There were a couple of other food which made his mouth water, but they were all so unrealistically expensive. One fancy-looking sandwich no bigger than his hand cost six pounds. _I'd rather skip lunch and eat when I get back, rather than waste money over sandwiches which should just cost forty yen_, he thought as he took the escalator to the next floor.

Most of the shops here sold clothes and dresses, footwear and the like. Mannequins stood at the front, wearing clothes of the strangest (for him at least) yet most popular fashion. He wasn't into fashion, nor did any of the shops interest him in the least. However, as he passed by this certain shop, an attendant with light brown hair was talking to her companion, and he was within hearing range. Without meaning to, he heard her say, "…and I should have known that she was different! It never occurred to me that she was that pretty young lady who sang in Covent Garden!"

Kai stopped dead on his tracks, and stepped back, unseen by the two girls, and listened to what they were about to say.

"Yes, she is beautiful, isn't she? She has a marvelous voice, and my uncle who went to watch the performance said so himself!" agreed a second voice.

"Anyway," the first one went on, "when they came here, she had a girl who looked exactly like her!"

Kai sucked in his breath. _Saya…? _But it sounded so impossible, so coincidental…

"Really now?" the other said in interest. "They must be twins!"

"Undoubtedly," the first one agreed. "And she brought with her two more companions! The first man was…well, not acting the way he should. But the other one, oh, you should have just seen him! He was so charming and handsome!"

_Chevaliers… _Kai breathed. _Solomon Goldsmith, _he thought, after hearing how the girl had described the second man. _It must be him, and… And Saya was here…_

"Perhaps I should have," the second said.

The two were about to say more about the matter, but a voice intervened, "Forgive me for interrupting, but," Kai stepped out to reveal himself to the two girls, "will you please tell me more about those two girls you mentioned earlier?"

"Do you know them?" the attendant with the light brown hair asked.

"Quite," Kai answered awkwardly. "That girl you were talking about was Diva, and that girl beside her whom you said looked like her was Saya." He got carried away. "She's my—" He stopped when he realized what he was saying. "They're my acquaintances, and—"

"As much as we want to listen to this, _sir_," the second girl said, "We're still busy, and we've got some other things to do."

"We do?" the first girl asked in surprise. Her companion nudged her, and pulled her along inside. Kai watched them.

"But, he says he knows them—"

"Of course he'd say that," Kai heard the second attendant say. "Who wouldn't?"

_They take I'm insane_, the young man thought solemnly. _Considering the unexpected interruption… _"Please wait," he said.

"Sir, we're busy, and we can't afford to waste our time chatting with strangers."

The words somehow made him flinch a bit. "I just want to know when they came here," Kai said.

"That was a week ago," the first attendant answered. "They came to buy dresses and—"

"That's enough," the other cut in. She turned to Kai. "If you don't plan to buy anything, please leave. We don't allow loitering people here," she told him rather harshly.

"Oh, I'm…I'm sorry." He turned to leave, but looked back at them. "And thank you…for the information." With that, he walked away.

-ns-

Nothing else existed in his mind, except for what he had heard. He walked around for a little while longer, checking whatever things which might pique his interest. Amazing and beautiful as the things he saw were, they could not divert him from those thoughts again. He wouldn't be able to do much, and he felt the same sick feeling as he had with David, in the department store. Now he realized how _much _people filled the area, and suddenly, it seemed as thought he might suffocate with the air so stifling despite the fact that the air-conditioning may have even been better inside. He needed air, and he needed it so badly he rushed out of the wide department store, bumping people in the process, until he was finally out of the building.

When Kai was outside, he saw that the sky was suddenly dark and ominous, and it seemed that it would rain hard. He took in deep breaths, then headed his way.

Kai continued walking in a brisk pace. _Saya…she's been there in Harrods just a week ago…just before the concert. _He stared at the ground. _Just before I abandoned her…_

It was evening when he arrived back in building. Mao and Okamura were arguing on the sofa about what they should be having for dinner while Lewis listened attentively. Meanwhile, David sat next to Julia, looking into the small screen while Julia was typing in the laptop. All turned to the young man when he came in.

"Where were you?" David asked. Thunder rolled outside.

"I was just walking around," Kai replied, heading straight for his room.

"I was calling in your cellphone all this time," Mao said, facing him. "Why didn't you answer any of my calls?"

"I don't know." That was the last and only thing he had said as a reply before ignoring the next line of questions as he went to his room.

-ns-

He was staring up at the ceiling again, the way he did when he woke up. His hunger barely caught his attention; nor did the voices outside telling him to come out or the constant thunder rolls reach his ears. He heard an angry bang on his door, but gazed up at the darkness absentmindedly, ignoring the noise.

_If I had decided to go to Harrods, and walk through that same floor you did…would you come along with me? _he thought ruefully.

"Kai, why do you always have to be like this?" Mao cried outside.

_If I brought a lot of mon__ey and we met in front of that nice store, would you tell me to buy that expensive cupcake? _He raised a bandaged hand to the air, only realizing by then that he had been injured during the fight.

"It's useless, Mao," he heard David say. "Just leave him alone." A few moments followed before the last bang came when Mao kicked the door from outside. Then they were no more.

_I wouldn't get mad, Saya. I would never get mad at you_, he thought bitterly. His eyes burned. _In fact, I'd buy everything you want. I would buy your favorite food; I'd treat you to the fanciest five-star restaurant here in London. If you would just come back. If we could be together again, then…then…_

He didn't want to cry; his pride can never allow him to shed pitiful tears. Tears of defeat. Hopelessness. But a single tear had successfully run down his cheek, and before he knew it, he was crying.

_Then I'd buy dozens of eggs and boil them all, and you'll eat them, won't you? _He gritted his teeth, as this thought reached him. _After all, Saya, boiled egg was always your favorite._

He wasn't the only crying though; outside, it was raining hard.

-ns-

The tears had soon run out, but there were still constant sniffles, the only sound that filled the eerie silence. For so long, she remained thus, in a huddled form, too afraid to move any more, despite the cramps forming all over her body. The only time she did was right after she knew everyone outside left her. She stood up from her spot and walked to the farthest corner, where she got into her position and cried.

The tears had stopped running, but the pain was still there. It was reduced to a smaller state, but it would not disappear. With no one to comfort her, no one to tell her that everything was alright, she felt so…alone. In that small room among several others, she felt so _alone_, so cold, and empty. And for the first time, for so many months, she felt abandoned, feeling no different from time when she was imprisoned in the dungeon in the past. She might have been feeling worse now, because, after all, it was she who brought this upon herself, she who ran away and locked herself inside…

Her stomach grumbled, and she realized that she had not eaten yet. Then she thought more, and remembered: _that's right, what I feed on are humans_. Humans. Those of Kai and David's kind. Those like my best friend, Kaori… Like Riku, and Dad and Mao… And everyone else…

The thought sickened her, and she told herself she wasn't hungry anymore. No, not for human blood. Not anymore. She set her hunger aside, tried to think of things, huddled there. From time to time she wondered if she was really sitting there inside that dark room, if what was happening was reality, or just a dream. Just a dream, she would repeat. I wish it were a dream. If it only it was a dream.

Minutes had stretched to hours, and she knew not of how long she had been locked inside, or what time it was. What time is it, she would ask herself. What time is it? It's time to be reading that book I found in Nathan's room. That nice, interesting book about a girl who was abandoned by everyone, who was trying to live the life to the best way she could. That nice book I found the day after 'we' fought, in that morning when I wasn't with Diva for the first time…that nice book I took out randomly when I was feeling bad.

That nice book which I found in the worst time.

Before she knew it, she had dozed off, too tired to think of the book, or anything else.

She only woke up after a few hours came to pass. She was still in the same position, and her body ached terribly. She forgot she was about to stretch though, when she tried to remember what her dream was during her nap. The images were all cloudy, and she couldn't remember any distinct image. She knew she saw Kai in there, and one of Diva's Chevaliers…and other people she vaguely recalled were there.

-ns-

The day was so boring.

All throughout those hours, she couldn't do anything. If there was anything worth recalling of what she had done, it would be messing the whole room. She tore the stuffed toys savagely and scattered them around inside the room, then afterwards did the same thing with the pillows. When she looked into the mirror, looked into her cold expression, she saw another part of herself, 'her'. 'Her' tearstained, bloodied face, 'her' mouth opening with an answer:

"_I only wanted to protect them…!"_

Furious, she punched the mirror, breaking it into several shards. Her fist was bloody with clean cuts, but she ignored the pain. Right after, she walked around, breaking whatever vase or any ceramic, breakable thing she passed by. She would smash furniture and allow them to drop to the floor with an effortless push of a hand. It was boring; she was in no mood to play nice, so the only thing which was close to amusing her was destroying whatever she saw. It did the exact opposite; and now feeling worse than before, she went back to lie in her mattress—the only thing that survived the havoc she had wreaked in the bedroom.

If there was anything she would have wanted to do, it was to tear something, or someone, apart. But since there was nothing else left standing, and since she didn't want to tear her children open (as of the moment), she could only glare at the ceiling. Her look may have been piercing enough to drive anyone insane with fear. That could have been fun.

None of the Chevaliers dared to even come to see her, to see what a frightening thing she had done to her room, barely even a room for that matter.

She lay back into her mattress, thinking. It was dusk, and all she could do was…think. She did not think deeply as 'she' did; she merely recalled everything that had happened.

It was two nights ago when they had their swordplay, where she won, and the other lost. _It was so fun_, she thought, a sudden smile making its way to her annoyed expression_. So fun… The best game I could have. But 'she' could not appreciate it the way I did. I won and she lost, so what? Acting like the sore loser that she was, I left her to drown in her defeat, to make her feel the consequences of keeping secrets. _

_Only I could do as I pleased. She wasn't me. _

_But she couldn't see it that way. It was so stupid of her. _I_ was supposed to be the one enraged, not 'her'. What right did she have? And then she had it in her to avoid me, when it was all her fault._

"Avoid me…" she repeated softly, her gaze softening for a moment. "When you were supposed to be there…wiping my mouth and telling me to eat properly, even when you don't even do it yourself…"

It was annoying, most annoying, so she decided to be a snob, ignoring 'her' to play along with that little game of hers. And then came the memory of what had happened last night.

_You__ used a weapon behind my back,_ she thought as though she were accusing that twin of hers face-to-face,_ you even made it look like you had the right to get angry, and now… Going so far as to protect humans, and most especially 'them'? What difference did they make from the humans you ate? You protected the things I hated, telling me you had to, because… because… _Her grip tightened in the sheets. _Because you had to._

_Because they're more than how I see them._

She couldn't do this alone. These thoughts were going to drive her farther to insanity. The feeling…that painful, undeniable feeling she never wanted to admit to anyone else. Thinking was a bad thing, perhaps it was one reason why 'she' turned this way.

She didn't have to think as deeply as 'she' did, because overall, the only thing that could conclude these thoughts was the hatred. Not just annoyed, no. She was _enraged_, far beyond irritated.

If someone had to know, it was 'her'.

Standing up from her mattress, she headed for the door, opened it, and went out, slamming the door so hard, it shook.

-ns-

Darkness crept around her so quickly. Through the small window, she saw streaks of lightning tear the heavens. A few moments after their appearance, thunder would boom so deeply, she could feel the small vibrations. But none of the two were worthy enough to be thought of, even for a few moments.

How cruel time could be, she thought. Being too slow.

If only it could all just end at once.

Throughout the long day, she felt no presence. She didn't feel anyone; if there was any, it would be the vague atmosphere of one of the Chevaliers, whom, she was sure, avoided her for the fact that Diva had told them to leave her alone. It was better that way, she told herself. It's for the best. I don't have to face anyone of them, not even 'her'.

'Her.' She whom I have hurt. '_She'_ _would never admit it. But 'that' said everything._ She remembered the tear rolling down 'her' cheek. _That little star shining on your cheek, told me what you felt._

Again, she must have dwelt too much on the matter because right at that moment, her eyes burned. She strived to control it. For several minutes, in that same position, she tried to fight back those tears which had stained her face. They stained the face that looked like 'hers'. Those tears she had come to hate.

When she had thought she had gained control of her emotions, the door suddenly swung open. She might have not felt it, for the fact that she was too occupied to know there was actually someone outside during that time. But now 'she' was inside, with her. In that little dark room which hid her, and her shameless emotions.

Now, 'she', the person she had hidden herself from, was right here. She could feel the air surrounding 'her', so cold…so full of that overwhelming emotion, she felt might even consume her and the tiny room she stayed in. A beam of light from the hallway reached her back; she moved pathetically further into the shadows, fearing the light might take something from her.

She had nothing to say, didn't even feel she had the right to say anything at all, so she remained silent. She heard the door close slowly, and awaited the lights from the ceiling to snap on. But it had not, and she was thankful 'she' had allowed the darkness to hide whatever remained of her that was still her.

Silence had ensued for a few moments, moments which she thought were so long and tedious. Time was indeed cruel, making her suffer in 'her' presence. If her mere appearance was enough punishment as it was, what more must she expect for the words, the voice, she was about to hear? The thought made her tighten her hug around her knees, and she waited for what was about to happen next.

-ns-

As Diva unbolted the door, she saw that it was dark inside. The beam of light from the hallway quickly entered the darkness, its smallest end falling on the small form huddled at the farthest corner of the room. The girl reacted to the light and moved further into the darkness like a helpless frightened thing.

Diva stepped inside, closing the door behind her, much to the other's evident relief. There were small strips of light which came through the gaps in the door, and the room itself wasn't too dark.

She stood there, waiting for 'her' to speak, to sputter 'her' excuses; but the girl said nothing. Diva sensed 'her' discomfort in her presence, and that seemed to satisfy her, seeing how the girl before her was suffering. But that wasn't the end of it. It was just the beginning.

She allowed a few moments of complete silence to ensue, before she herself spoke.

"Why?"

The word made her stiffen without much comprehension of the question itself. _Why…? _Saya repeated slowly. Emotions started to flood in before her mind could register. _Why…? _she thought again. Her eyes were burning again, and she was sure she wouldn't be able to hold them back this time.

"Why won't you answer?" the voice asked impatiently. It sounded so cold, so unfeeling…

A lump filled Saya's throat. The edges of her eyes were already wet; the tears would fall anytime soon.

Thunder rumbled once more, filling the empty space.

"I'm asking you, Saya," Diva said dryly. "Why won't you answer me?"

Struggling against her feelings, she realized she lost. In an effort to stop herself from crying, she squeezed her eyes shut. "You wouldn't understand…!" she sputtered, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What's there to understand?" was Diva's arid reply. "All I see are bratty tears."

"You wouldn't understand…" Saya repeated softly, her voice frail from her sudden outburst. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand…"

"You won't even tell me anything," Diva pointed out dully.

"You saw what happened didn't you?" Saya began, regaining her composure, her voice trembling as thought it would break any moment. "You saw how they could have easily died. But even if you were witnessing it, you did nothing."

"And it was such a wonderful show," Diva added sarcastically for her. "Seeing them fighting so desperately was so funny I couldn't help but laugh at how their efforts were in vain." Hearing her speak and what she was saying was annoying the elder Queen. She gritted her teeth in irritation.

"So it didn't matter if they'd die," Saya said softly, red anger swelling in her innermost core. "Is that it? You didn't care whether they died or not!"

"Of course I didn't care," Diva answered facilely. "I wouldn't care at the least even if all of those humans were slain by my children."

"You're heartless!" Saya said angrily. Her sadness was overcome by her rage, and the tears no longer were tears which lamented her actions. She struggled to get up, almost stumbling in the process. It was pathetic to Diva, seeing how her weak onee-chan got up unsteadily to her feet to face her.

"You still have the face to say that, Saya?" the younger twin questioned darkly. She gave a short, mirthless laugh. "After killing humans with your own hands, and feeding on them, you could still stand up to me and say _I'm_ heartless?"

Saya was taken aback, much to Diva's satisfaction. She clenched her fists, and opened her mouth to speak. But she could find not words to answer her challenge.

"What's wrong?" the younger twin asked, giving a sardonic smile. "So I _am_ correct, aren't I?"

Another deep thunder made the earth tremble.

-ns-

Solomon stepped up carefully before the door to Diva's bedroom. His companions were Nathan and Karl. He lifted a hand to give a light knock on the door, and when he landed his hand on the wood several times, no answer came from inside.

"Diva?" Solomon called gently while knocking. "Diva, are you still in there?"

"She's not in there," Nathan said with a sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"You didn't hear the door slam?" Karl inquired in a critical voice.

"I did," Solomon answered. "But I just wanted to make sure she isn't in here anymore." He unbolted the door, and stepped inside. All three Chevaliers were astounded when they had seen the mess Diva had created.

"Oh my," Nathan breathe.

-ns-

While the two were rising against each other in their dispute, they had not noticed that the thunder and lightning were turning constant, each flash and boom foretelling the coming of rain.

"No!" Saya asserted. "They were friends and family, Diva! They were different!"

"So you're not only unfair with me," Diva replied. "You're even unfair to them, aren't you? What difference did they make from those who have fallen victim to you?"

"If you say it's unfair," Saya answered, "then I should have treated you the way I treated the Chiropterans!" This time, it was Diva who was taken aback. "If I were to act fairly the way you want me to, then I shouldn't have favored you over the lesser beings! I should have…" she hated herself for what she was about to say. "I should have just killed you!" The words slipped so naturally out of her mouth. It was so easy to say them, because no matter how painful they were, they were real.

A large streak of lightning flashed, briefly bathing the whole room in ghostly light. Within those few moments, she saw the expression on the younger twin's face. It was cold, fierce…and hurt.

"So you'll kill me because I'm what the humans hate, is that it?" Diva demanded. "And they won't kill you because you're the only one they raised and loved and treated like family, right?"

Her words flabbergasted Saya, and for a moment, the question pained her. "That's not it, Diva! I—"  
"You've always been selfish, onee-chan," Diva cut in. "You always lived the happy life. You were the only one to experience true happiness. And the only time," her voice was laced with vague emotion, "I thought I was happy was when I had my onee-chan with me!" Again, the words astounded her. "But, _no_," she gave a wicked smile, "the humans had to take everything from me. They had to be selfish, too, so they tried to steal you away!"

A strong gust of wind blew outside. Moments after, it began to rain.

"They were not selfish, Diva," Saya said softly in a broken voice. "They only want me back with them."

"They're turning you into something you're not," Diva said harshly. "Can't you see that? You don't belong with them!"

"Whether I was human or not didn't matter. We were always bound by love. We weren't related by blood, but we were family. Even my friends accepted me so—"

"So if they were friends and family to you, who was I?" Diva interrupted. "For those past months, who really was I, Saya?" The question kindled something else. It stunned her.

"You're my sister, Diva!" Saya cried, her answer desperate.

"'Sister'?" Diva repeated in disgust. "I thought I was the Chiropteran who you had to kill for your precious 'family and friends'."

"Diva, I didn't mean it that way—"

"Of course you didn't mean it that way," Diva sneered. "You wanted to say more, right? If you hate me because 'they' hate me, then it's only right that I hate you!" She advanced toward her. "We were never meant to be sisters because our bloods are antagonistic." Saya stepped back, away from her. But Diva was quicker, and easily caught her in the wrist and yanked her close. "So why don't we return to hating each other, onee-chan?" she released harshly with an eerie smile. "Why don't we continue this fight? After all, it's started, so why don't we continue it until the end?"

Rain pattered noisily against the glass.

"Then you'll…kill me?" Saya asked in painful slowness. "If we'll fight…then more humans would—"

Something snapped. "If you missed them so badly, then _go_!" Diva screeched, shoving her back forcefully. "They're the ones you'd rather be with, right? You deserve each other!"

Saya stared at her, dumbfounded. "Diva—"

"_Go!_" Diva cried. Another lightning flashed, but her face was dark, her expression unreadable. Her voice said everything, though. "Leave, Saya! Leave this place and never come back!" She pointed to the door. "This would be the end of everything we had," she said harshly. "And we'll begin this fight anew."

"No…" Saya said softly. Her mind couldn't take it all, couldn't understand that she was being thrown out. Out of the mansion, out of Diva's life.

"This is an order!" Diva snapped, voice so sharp it made Saya take a step back, away from her. "I won't kill you this time, but if we ever meet again, know that we're no longer what we once were. I'll treat you like the humans, and once again we'll hate each other like the old times." Her hand trembled vehemently as she continued to point at the door. "Go, before I stain my hands with you're blood tonight, Saya," she said, her voice dropping to a strange tone, devoid of any emotion, "Go, while you still had a chance."

Saya stared hard at her, unbelieving of what she had said, too stubborn to admit what was, and now had returned between them. "I…"

Blue eyes glowed in the darkness, glaring at her. Saya flinched, and took a tentative step toward the door, past the person who had never glowered at her that intensely. Lightning flashed once again, and Saya saw the figure facing her, expression cast in shadow, but eyes glowing like blue orbs. Her fingers curved wickedly, resembling a claw which could tear her apart. At this, she stepped back, until she bumped into the door.

"And think twice before you dare come back," a cold voice broke in, no longer recognizable to Saya's ears. "Because until then, all I would ever do for you is kill you…"

She wanted to say something, wanted to take everything back. But her throat tightened, preventing her from saying a single word. She opened the door, making a large beam of the light from the hallway light a small space of the room. It might have illuminated the darkened expression of Diva, but her back was already turned against her, when Saya glanced back at her. But she still stood there, had not even completely left the room, until the younger twin lost it, turned toward her again and made a swift move which drove Saya outside, back, back until she slammed against the wall of the hallway, where crevices appeared due to the impact. Even the door was almost destroyed, top part separated from its hinges.

Saya stared at her in shock, stunned beyond words. The dark figure remained in the shadows of the room. _This is the last chance I'll give you, _a glacial voice told her telepathically. _Go now, or I'll kill you before you could even leave the entrance of this mansion. _Saya quickly got up, staggered, and ran away. _You no longer belong here. No enemy of mine deserves my pity._

-ns-

Tears flowed from her eyes as she ran past the rooms. Nearing the entrance, she caught sight of three Chevaliers: Karl, Solomon and Nathan.

"Saya dear," Nathan said soothingly, his expression ridden with worry. "Where are you going? "

Instead of answering him, she looked away, too ashamed to look at them straight in the eyes.

"Saya…" Solomon said. Saya ignored them and ran out the entrance.

"Why you…!" Karl growled menacingly, but a voice cut through his mind, ordering him, all of them, not to lay a finger on her, to allow her to leave. Karl glared at the young girl as she ran away, far way from him. He had no choice but to watch her run outside, into the heavy downpour, far from his reach. His arm trembled and shook with such force, but he ignored it, staring after Saya instead.

The rain fell heavily on her, instantly soaking her clothes. But she never stopped, just continued to run, half-stumbling, bare feet thudding against the wet pavement. She lowered her head, as her tears infused with the rain and ran down her face. She was nearing the open gate, the gate which stood between the human world and this world where Diva stayed. But now she left, plunged into the human world, ran past that marvelous tall gate, not stopping for even a moment, to glance back at the tall windows where the bedroom which was once hers, was, and where, she felt vaguely, 'she' then stood.

-ns-

_Who will you be when we next meet, Saya? _Diva thought solemnly as she watched through the cracked glass of the window the small figure stagger and run toward the entrance. She was already inside the bedroom they both shared once. _Will you continue to be the person who deserves to be called my onee-chan_, her eyes narrowed_, or will you return to being the one I was meant to kill?_

The door to the room was open, and all Chevaliers stood outside, like a bunch of kids wanting to know what had occurred. She said nothing to them; her aura chilled and warned them to stay away, which they did. One by one, they left, reluctantly, so it seemed, until only one person was left, still remained in his spot.

"Shall I pursue her and end her life?" Amshel asked in his ever-so-loyal voice.

"No." The stumbling figure was no longer in sight, but she continued to look out through the window. "I'll kill her when I feel like it."

-ns-

She didn't know where to go. Blindly, she continued to run down the sidewalks, sometimes bumping into someone in the process. _"Go!" _The scenes replayed in her mind, and each time, Diva's words rang clearly. _"Leave, Saya! Leave this place and never come back!"_ Saya bit her lip to suppress a cry, wishing she never said anything at all.

Rain continued to fall in torrents. It was getting late, and the streets were almost empty.

It was so quick, the decision so rash, that sometimes she wondered if she was really running away in the heavy rain, running away from Diva. She didn't know where she was supposed to go, just kept on running as fast as her legs could carry her.

-ns-

Slowly, the rain was turning lighter, pattering with small noises against the cracked windows. She continued to look out, still remained in her still position. Where must you go? she thought. Where must you belong? She clenched her fists, now feeling an urge to shatter the remaining glass. She raised a fist, but instead smashing a window, she looked down at her appendage instead. She unclasped her hand and saw that it was trembling. Losing her control like that...wasn't like her. _How weak_, she thought with disgust.

"I had a bedroom prepared for you, Diva," Amshel's voice broke in the dark room. "Please come with me and I will take you there."

Diva smirked. "No," she answered, almost childishly, "I want to stay here. It's more comfortable."

"Of course," Amshel said dutifully, frowning.

Minutes stretched into silence; the Chevalier still remained in the room with her.

"Is there anything else you want, Diva?"

"The only thing I want," Diva replied coldly as she watched the spot where Saya disappeared, "is you to get out of this room." She turned to him, giving a disdainful smile. "Amshel, go away. I don't need you here."

The lines on Amshel's face deepened. "As you wish." He inclined his head and quietly left the room.

-ns-

It was drizzling.

The stumbling, weak figure ran still, even when the heavens have ceased from their downpour. Like a lost soul seeking solace, the figure ran. A home, she thought. I need a home.

Where's my home?

The heavens may have poured out torrents of their tears, but I will cry still, I will be worse than them. I will cry inside, so you'll never know how sad I am.

She went up to a corner, panting, weak from both her running and her emotions. _"I won't kill you this time, but if we ever meet again, know that we're no longer what we once were. I'll treat you like the humans, and once again we'll hate each other like the old times."_ She leaned against the wall, and sank to her knees. Then, she sobbed into her hands.

"_And think twice before you dare come back," a cold voice broke in, no longer recognizable to Saya's ears. "Because until then, all I would ever do for you is kill you…"_

_Why?_ she thought bitterly. _Why did I have to say all those?_ She swore at herself for talking in the first place. _If I didn't say anything at all, then none of this might have happened. If I wasn't so selfish, if I just learned to control myself… _She gritted her teeth.

"It's all my fault!" she screamed, looking up, screaming up at the heavens. "It's all my fault!" she repeated, bitter tears mixing with the light droplets of rain. "All my fault…!" She gasped for air, her throat suddenly tightening. "All...my fault…" It hurt. Everything hurt.

In the midst of her lamentation, someone suddenly approached. "Hey there," a voice intervened smoothly. Saya looked up at the stranger, eyes swollen red from her tears. "You don't look too good," the stranger went on. He was a young man, obviously of no good. His smile sickened her.

Saya stood up. "Go away," she growled, stepping away from him.

"Don't get angry," the man said. "Look at you: you're drenched from the rain." He extended a hand. "Why don't you come with me? I'll bring you somewhere safe and warm."

In his eyes, Saya saw his lust. She stepped further back, staring had at him. "Go away," she repeated. "I don't need you."

"Are you sure?" the man asked. "It seems to me that you have nowhere else to go. Thrown out of you home, perhaps?" His last sentence made her react slightly. He smiled a sickeningly sweet smile. "Come on."

"No," she said, her stare turning into a glare. "I told you, I don't need you!"

"Can't accept charity, hmm?" the man said, approaching her, his face darkening. "It's alright; you could pay me back…" a grin made its way to his face. "…with your body. What do you say, young lady?" He advanced slowly toward her, and she stepped back. "You know, little pretty girls like you are quite something, when we find you in the streets. You have no home, so why don't I give you one?"

"Go away," she snarled. "I don't need you."

"So stubborn…" the man chuckled. He made a sudden grab for her, but he missed. "Come on, now," he goaded. "I won't hurt you if you would come along." He made another grab. As he did, Saya sidestepped, gripped his wrist and twisted it, making the man cry out in pain. Then Saya folded his arm behind him, and slammed him against the wall.

"I said I don't need you…" she whispered harshly.

The man swore and struggled, but to no avail. He was a mere human. _So weak…_ a part of Saya thought. "I won't bother you anymore if you let me go!" the man pleaded. "Please let me go!"

Saya watched him coldly, her grip viselike. Her stomach began to grumble; she only realized she had not eaten yet. For the whole day, she had not eaten yet. And this human…looks like the perfect meal to satiate her hunger. She had caught prey. And now she was going to eat him.

Bloody-red eyes glowed in the darkness. She leaned forward.

The man glanced back at her. "Hey!" he cried, suddenly panicked. "What in the world…? What are you doing? N-No! Stop! I—"

But it was too late. Her fangs sank into his neck, and he struggled. It took a few minutes before the body grew still.

In the darkness, in the drizzling rain, she held the man and continued to drink, finding what her hunger demanded of her, and in her loneliness, finding warmth.

* * *

_Hold on to your comments. Before you click that 'Review This Chapter' thingy, those who plan to make a review, I'm telling you, it does _not _end this way. It was all so rash, I'll admit that, but it won't stop there. So please, though I'm sure that most of you are, well, maybe a bit disappointed, I assure you this is not how I'm going to make it end. It's a Saya/Diva fic—I would never make such a drastic event end as it is._

_So…you must probably hate me? I'll have to admit, though, I kind of like it. I'm not referring to the separation…just something. It's complicated._

_Saya and Diva will always be together. That's what runs beneath the title I've made for this fic, and the whole story itself (I have to admit, I kind of doubt the tile I made)._

_Now that you completely understand the whole thing, you're free to click that 'Review This Chapter' and express your opinions._

_All reviews are welcome...and I just hope no one was disappointed._


	29. Chapter 24: Delusion

_So…'must have been wondering why I haven't updated as quickly as you had requested, huh? I sort of entered the I-lost-my-inspiration mode. Yep. 'Kind of wondered why I made this fic in the first place. I would have gladly stopped there. But…I guess I couldn't waste everything there, right? And to lose your favor for not living up to your expectations…is a bad thing._

_I don't know why, but I really couldn't write as well as I usually did. Discouragement ended up with me making this detestable chapter. I had to revise large portions of the chapter over and over and…well, here's the result:_

* * *

Chapter XXIV

Delusion

Mist settled in the city of London, leaving everything in a white, featureless background. Lights flickered faintly; the streets were barren of any soul, and deadly silence dominated.

Footsteps cut through the silence. A figure stepped into the unfriendly area of the mist, another yet following after him. Both men were wary, surveying their surroundings with practiced caution. Firearms held readily in the air, they stepped further into the fog.

"Why are we the only ones doing this?" Kai asked with a hint of irritation.

"Because we can't afford to lose anyone," Lewis answered.

The two men stepped further still, each step slow and careful.

"So I'm here to die for them," Kai concluded, "is that it?"

"No. For one thing, you're skilled."

Kai grunted. "More like lucky." He glanced behind him. "Where's Haji? Wasn't he following us a while ago?"

"He isn't now," Lewis answered, straightening up a bit and looking back normally. "He's just somewhere; he'd pop out when we need him." A growl reached their ears; it was so faint that it might have been their imagination. But the men quickly pointed their guns in front of them, and remained still.

"Well, we need him _now_," Kai grumbled, sweat trickling down his temple despite the chilliness of the dawn. He stared hard into the fog, trying to make up a bended, burly form. But nothing solid seemed to be standing in their way.

Kai relaxed, and lowered his weapon. He felt a sudden presence brush his own, and looked behind him only to see Haji. His sudden appearance was so unexpected that Kai was startled inwardly. "Hey," he said, thankfully able to keep a normal tone, "where were you?"

"I was walking right behind you."

"It's best you keep close," Kai reminded him. The Chevalier seemed distracted, staring straight forward. "Hey, are you listening?" Kai asked, waving a hand rudely in front of the Chevalier face. "I said—"

Haji suddenly threw a dagger straight into the air just before them, startling Kai once more, and making him move back in surprise.

"What the…?" Kai glared at the Chevalier. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded. Before he could say anymore, Lewis cried, "Kai!"

The ginger-haired teenager spun around only to see a Chiropteran rushing toward him. His body reacted before his mind could, but further action was too slow. Haji pushed Kai back, and used his cello case to block a heavy blow from the beast. The Chiropteran snarled and tried to grab him with its freakishly long arms, but Haji shoved it forcefully and kicked it. The Chiropteran was driven back by the strength of the Chevalier, and Haji made a quick follow-up of three daggers, which got it in the face and eyes. Temporarily blinded, the Chiropteran stepped back. As if on cue, another Chiropteran appeared to take its place. Then another two came out.

"Crap."

Haji lowered himself, as if he were stalking prey, then rushed to one of the beasts, slamming it with the case he carried. Immediately, Kai and Lewis fired at the remaining two. Overcome with surprise, they stepped back. Then they shook their heads, as if to clear something away, and charged.

Lewis and Kai ran back, still firing. The shotgun had made fatal injuries on the Chiroptera. As they moved away further still, Lewis shot at the belly thrice and it burst, blood and insides springing out. But to their horror, it did not stop the beast from advancing toward them. The other, suffering from lesser injuries, suddenly sprang to them, almost lashing them as it landed heavily on the ground. At this, Kai and Lewis were forced to split. The Chiroptera followed suit.

-ns-

The beast bawled and attempted to swipe him with its deadly claws. Haji caught it with his own horrific appendage, and was about to impale it when the Chiropteran he had blinded previously, appeared. Haji moved away just in time, before it lashed out at him.

He heard the gunshots resound throughout the empty streets, and he knew that Kai and Lewis were as well fighting the rest of the Chiroptera.

He dodged the incoming strikes with ease as the monsters attempted to strike him. A presence brushed vaguely against his; distracted, he stood still for a few moments. He snapped back into his senses when one of the Chiroptera raised a brutish arm to the sky and lacerated him across the chest. Blood sprang out, and the Chevalier stumbled helplessly to the ground. However, that distraction had not lasted long; he stood up, his wounds healing, then rushed to the beasts to reciprocate their attack.

-ns-

The monster was gaining on him too quickly. In his frustration, Kai flung his now-empty handgun, and drew out two automatic pistols kept at the holsters strapped at either side of his belt, cocked the firearms at the monster and fired. As he did, he felt something vague brush against his mind, like another consciousness.

Lewis was handling his own, firing at the Chiropteran. His weapon was soon empty. Having neither time nor choice, he reached for two shotguns strapped on his back, and turned to shoot the advancing beast. The shots were more successful, and the Chiropteran almost stumbled from the strength of the shots. Grabbing the moment, he shot the Chiropteran Kai was facing off, hitting it in the head. Then he returned to Chiropteran he had been handling.

The Chiropteran's head almost exploded, thanks to Lewis. Kai shot it were it had been shot by Lewis, and it staggered. Then finally, it fell—the same moment the other Chiropteran did.

The two men ran to each other to congratulate each other, but as soon as they reunited, menacing growls made them cock their guns readily.

"There's more?" Kai said, his eyes darting from place to place. He saw something moving toward them. It didn't take long before a new Chiropteran appeared. And another. And yet another.

"No…" Kai stared at the beasts in shock.

"How…could there be so many?" Lewis said in utter disbelief. The question was left unanswered, and the men fired. A dagger flew right into the first one's eyes, which assured the help of the Chevalier. Later, Haji was once again in close combat with the first Chiropteran while Lewis and Kai had to attack the remaining two.

-ns-

"Darn," Kai swore harshly as he stepped back. His other gun was empty; he stopped to reload it. Little did he know that the previous four Chiroptera had already healed. Lewis stopped and stared at the large figure approaching Kai, who was still unaware of the coming danger. The vague thing was growing stronger; Kai stood there for a few moments, distracted.

"Kai!" The boy glanced at him. "Behind you!"

Kai spun around and was startled. Two Chiroptera were standing behind him. He dropped the bullets and the gun he was about to reload in his fright, and stepped back. The beasts bawled, making him pale. In his panic, he stepped away, but stumbled and fell on his backside. Fear clouded his mind; he didn't know what to do as the creature loomed over him.

"Kai! Shoot them!" Lewis cried. "Shoot them! You still have the other pistol!" He wanted to say more, but the other two Chiropterans were already gaining on him.

At first, he couldn't understand. Then he realized Lewis' words, gripped the other gun, and shot the Chiroptera with trembling hands. The beasts moved back, and so did he, away from them. As he tried to move away, one of the Chiroptera noticed it, and snarled, lunging for him.

"No!" Lewis cried.

Kai draped his arms over himself, waiting for the painful attack.

A pained, monstrous cry rang in his ears.

-ns-

Nothing happened.

Kai cracked one eye open just to see the Chiropteran step back clumsily as the cold air stirred with swift movement. The Chiropteran bumped into its companion, who snarled, but was unable to regain its balance because of yet another swift brush which drove it back to the right.

Kai unsteadily got to his feet. _Huh? _Confused, he watched as the Chiropteran growled and lashed at the space before it. There was a blue blur as something slapped against the Chiropteran's chest and drove it back a few meters, opposite its companion.

The Chiropteran shook its head. The presence was overwhelming and its nostrils caught the new scent. At this, its eyes glowed bloody-red and saliva drooled down its mouth. Suddenly, it howled. Its companion howled as well, and two other unseen Chiroptera joined in the howling as well.

_What? _Kai stared at the beasts. _Why are they doing howling? _He was so astonished that he forgot to take his other gun and reload it, or at least move back.

Meanwhile, Lewis, who was fighting the other two Chiroptera, stopped firing and stared. The two beasts' eyes were glowing red; they ceased from their attacking and howled.

Haji stood and watched as the Chiropteran he was currently fighting howled to the sky. Though it had fallen, it still howled and tried to stand up despite the deep gash in its belly which was in the process of healing.

Without warning, the Chiropteran before Kai charged and reached out with its claws to grab him—

If it was him it was reaching for.

The Chiropteran merely rushed past him and he stepped away in fright. Its companion tailed after it. Other heavy footsteps followed; he spun around and saw the two previous Chiroptera heading for him. He fired at one of them, but they did not stop advancing, even when he was firing continuously.

It confounded him when the two Chiroptera ran past him, as the others had. He watched at the first Chiropteran slashed at the air, but was too slow to strike anything. A move drove it back. The second slashed more fiercely, but it stumbled when something quick got it in the leg. The other two tried attacking as well, but were no better from the first pair.

-ns-

It was fast, so fast, his eyes could barely catch up with the blue movements. The Chiropteran stepped back. He saw something. It was…a slender figure. He strained his eyes. Another blue flash lacerated the Chiropteran in the shoulder. Blood gushed out. Within those moments, he saw the blood spray on that figure.

_A person? _How could a normal person fight Chiroptera like that? Kai saw the Chiropteran collapse with the fatal injury. _But how…? _It could be Haji, but he knew the Chevalier was busy facing off his own Chiropteran. No other person could fight like him, unless…

_No, _Kai thought. It's impossible.

The Chiropteran lay there helplessly in the dirt. It should have healed from the injury by now; it should have at least tried to get up. But no, it just lay there, motionless. _What...? _Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.

Then something else happened. The Chiropteran turned deathly gray, and moments after, cracks, red cracks, started to appear, specifically from the injury it had received in the shoulder. Kai's eyes widened at the realization. The beast was actually _crystallizing. _

Only one person was capable of doing that. Only one person…

Kai's heart raced.

-ns-

Lewis was not too far to see the silhouettes of the four Chiroptera fighting. One collapsed and let out a howl of pain. He watched them for a moment in wonder. A growl reached his ears. Startled, Lewis spun around in time to see the two Chiroptera he was fighting head for him. It was far too late to pull on the trigger; he stepped back, but they only ran past him, mesmerized by the new scent, the stronger presence. Eyes glowing red, they joined in the battle, each one of them lurching forward.

"What the…?"

A swift movement startled him and he looked up to see Haji. The Chevalier watched the Chiroptera with steady eyes. Both watched, or rather the trio watched (with Kai at the far end) as the Chiroptera fought against this something…this someone.

Lewis couldn't believe his eyes. He might have believed Chiroptera not attacking him when he was easy prey, but _this_, this was too much. He heard a gruesome sound as one of the Chiroptera was slashed across the chest, then the heavy _thud _when it collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

Heavy footsteps thudded on the ground; Haji and Lewis turned to see the Chiropteran that Haji had battled, heading for them. It was bathing in its own blood, and its deep gash was still in the process of healing. Eyes glowing red, it headed for them. Lewis raised his shotgun and—

"No," Haji intervened, to Lewis' surprise. The bleeding chiropteran headed, not to them, but rather to the rest of its companions which were still fighting…with something else.

Lewis turned back to the dying Chiropteran. When he looked back at it, it was dead. _Dead. _"It can't be…" he said in a low voice. "It couldn't crystallize, not unless…" He looked at Haji. Haji looked straight forward.

"She's here."

-ns-

Blood cascaded as the Chiroptera received fatal injuries. Even when this new stranger, perhaps not a stranger, but someone they hoped they knew, was fighting alone, Haji did not dare intervene or help in the battle. He just stood there, expression blank, but seeming as though he were hypnotized.

Finally, only two Chiroptera were still standing. They rushed at the small figure standing so calmly in the mist. The figure moved back with deadly speed, dodged the constant attacks and rushed forward with perfect timing. One forceful shove. Two. One of the chiroptera stepped back, now overwhelmed. But it was too late. A third shove, and it stumbled. It got up quickly despite its size, only to face three quick, bloody lashes. Then it dropped to the ground, crystallizing.

The other faired no better from the first. It fought with ferocity, and was able to dodge most of the attacks. But it wasn't good enough. Within a minute, it was among the dead pile of crystallized chiroptera.

The lone figure stood in the midst, still enshrouded by the fog where death still lingered. Kai went forward, not faltering in his steps. He took another step. And another. The figure remained where it stood, motionless as Kai advanced. Then Kai's heart seemed to stop at that moment when he saw her.

-ns-

"Saya?"

The girl before him looked at him straight in the eye. There was something in her bloody-red eyes which scared him; he flinched. Sensing his discomfort, the eerie glow disappeared.

Kai was able to find his voice. "What did you— How—" His mouth could barely speak out the sudden eruption of questions in his mind. Kai stopped and then calmed a bit. "Saya…" he began slowly. "How did you escape?"

'_Escape'? _She repeated solemnly. Escape was the wrong word. She remained silent and looked away.

Something seemed different. Her appearance…with her dark hair reaching down to her shoulders, and the fierce countenance she bore…were so different. Even the aura surrounding her, filled with what he vaguely sensed was sadness. But even still, he tried to make it seem like everything was the same.

She seemed reluctant to answer the question. "Are you okay?" Kai asked instead. He looked down and saw that her arms and hands were dripping with blood. She was holding small, sharp pieces of rusting metal, their sharp edges stained with her blood. That, and the chiroptera's.

"You're wounded." Kai knelt and tried to take the pieces of metal she held. _These were what she used. _She refused to let go, her grip tightening even more on the sharp metal, squeezing out fresh drops of blood. "Let go, Saya," he said mildly.

Finally, she decided to let go, and dropped the metal.

"Let me see your hand."

"They'll heal." For the first time, she spoke. Her voice sounded so…different, like it belonged to someone else's.

"Yes, but still—" He took her hand. She pulled away, to his surprise. He considered what he had done and thought he was being too intimate. He stepped back, feeling ashamed.

Just then, Lewis and Haji appeared. The man stared at Saya, too baffled to speak. Haji's expression remained blank. Kai smiled at them, then at Saya.

Finally, Lewis overcame his astonishment. "Is that…?" He was still too surprised to continue his sentence. He blinked, expecting the girl to disappear, but she still stood there. "But how…?"

This aroused discomfort; Kai tried to shift the topic. "It doesn't matter," he said, his voice suddenly calm and cheerful. "As long as Saya's here is all that matters." He turned to his sibling. "Right, Saya?"

The way he spoke seemed so casual and cheerful that it sounded almost annoying to Saya. She nodded nonetheless, and that was enough for everyone. She looked once again at Kai, who smiled once more, then to Lewis, who did the same, and finally, to Haji.

She looked into his dark, steady eyes, and found something familiar, perhaps too familiar. She was the one who pulled back; she tore her gaze from her Chevalier's and stared down at the ground instead.

Then, as if someone had said so, the two men started to walk; Haji remained. She watched them, still left in her spot. They turned to look back at her and her Chevalier, casting puzzling looks. She shot the same look back.

"Let's go, Saya," Kai said warmly. "With the others. They'll be happy to see you."

This was what she had awaited, but was still unsure about. This was where she had to decide if she was going to return to her old life with the humans. If I would go with them, she thought, then it means I'll be one of them again. If I go…

"C'mon."

Saya cast her Chevalier an indecisive look. He inclined his head slightly.

She had not set her mind to it completely yet, but she soon found herself walking among them.

-ns-

It felt different riding at the back of the van. The seats were so hard and uncomfortable to sit on. And with Haji, it felt so awkward. It might have been ironic that the Queen herself was uncomfortable with her very own Chevalier. Saya was so used to lively people that now, with her stoic, seemingly emotionless Chevalier with her, she felt strange. He felt so foreign, and yet there was that familiarity which still told her he _is _hers.

She was as quiet as he was, feeling a sudden weariness which left her drowsy and tired. She didn't waste much energy killing the Chiroptera, nor did she suffer from her injuries, if ever she did receive any. But that wasn't a matter which would concern her. She was exhausted and sleepy. Someone had to care to that. Back then, painful as it was to remember, she was always vaguely aware of someone holding her, embracing her when she was slipping into sleep. Most of the time it was her twin, or sometimes a Chevalier like Solomon or Nathan. But now, in this old, uncomfortable van, who could watch over her? She almost forgot she had Haji with her.

She tried to fight back the drowsiness. Her eyelids drooped heavily over her eyes, and she tried to keep them open. She decided to lean against the side of the van, and moments ensued before she was fast asleep.

Haji watched her slow, steady breathing. He dared not go near her, not unless he was told to do so. She didn't seem to need him, he observed. The van made a sudden turn; Saya's sleeping form fell forward. The Chevalier quickly caught her in his arms and leaned back, holding her carefully as if she were delicate treasure. He had no choice but to hold her, otherwise he might risk her falling and neither of them would want that.

In her sleep, her face still held that anxiety she wore when he saw her. He brushed a dark lock of hair from her face and gently caressed her soft cheek with the back of his clawed appendage.

The familiar scent from the past filled her nostrils. Unaware that she was in Haji's very arms, she snuggled against his chest, seeking the warmth she had lost.

-ns-

It was 4;02 AM when Lewis parked the van in front of the building where they stayed for the meantime. Kai got out to open the doors at the back for Saya and Haji. When he did, he saw Haji already getting up from his seat. In his arms, he held Saya, who was fast asleep.

"She's asleep?" Kai said. He held out his arms readily. "In that case—"

"No." Haji stepped out of the van.

"But you need to carry your cello—"

"I am capable of carrying both Saya and my instrument." True enough, his cello case was slung over one shoulder, and he carried his Queen with ease.

"Fine," Kai grumbled, suppressing the irritation which hung vaguely in his voice. Haji had not failed to notice it, though, and said nothing. Kai went off ahead with Lewis, leaving the Chevalier to carry his dear sister, whom he wanted to have the privilege of carrying.

They headed to the 23rd floor. Kai and Lewis quickly entered the room where they found David discussing some serious matter with Okamura.

"…before they arrived—" David said and stopped when the door unbolted and swung open, revealing two exhausted men.

The light bulb above them was the only thing left on to sustain the whole place with light. The rest were plunged into dimness. It seemed like David and Okamura were awake the whole time, waiting for their arrival. Mao and Julia must have still been asleep.

"So how was it?" David asked.

"It looks like the situation is getting worse," Lewis answered, worry written all over his face. "We faced seven of them."

"Seven?" David repeated, hiding the alarm in his voice. He looked at Kai and Lewis intently, and the alarm was evident in his expression.

"We don't know."

"How were you able to handle seven Chiroptera?" Okamura asked, leaning forward, showing more interest than worry.

"And speaking of Chiroptera," David intervened, "where is Haji?"

"He's here," Kai replied. The door was still open; he looked back outside rather impatiently. "And he's got the person responsible for killing all seven Chiroptera and saving our butts."

"Killing the Chiroptera?" Okamura stared at him. The Chevalier stepped slowly inside. Okamura was about to say more, but stopped short when he saw someone in Haji's arms.

David stared at the sleeping form. The girl's head was turned to one side, facing Haji's chest. He couldn't see who it was. But he knew, the moment he saw her, he knew who it was that Haji held so carefully.

It was Saya.

Both David and Okamura were speechless for a few moments. To break the silence, which was soon dominating the whole room, Kai said, "Right now, we have to put her to bed and let her rest. She's tired, perhaps even more exhausted than we are."

"There's…" David soon found the voice to speak. "There are two more vacant rooms at the end of the hallway." Immediately, Haji headed there, and Kai trailed behind him, not wanting to leave Saya. Okamura and David watched the trio in astounded silence. Meanwhile, Lewis sat among them in the sofa and leaned back.

"I'm as surprised as you are," he stated.

"Would you please tell us how you were able to take Saya?" David asked suddenly, more concerned than ever. He leaned forward.

"Yeah, tell us," Okamura joined in. "How _did _you three do what we failed to do as a large group?"

"We didn't take Saya," Lewis replied. "She came to us."

-ns-

Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was the white ceiling. A strip of orange light lay across it, making it seem as though the ceiling were yellow and not white. The color of the light defined the time, and she realized, despite her drowsiness, that it was already late afternoon. _It's getting late_, she thought. Her eyelids dropped heavily as she tried to focus her vision. _I should be getting up now to have my evening wash_, she told herself.

She completely forgot that she was no longer where she thought she was. She thought that the ceiling she was staring up at was the ceiling of the mansion. She thought that the mattress she was lying on was the king-sized mattress she shared with her twin. She thought that she had merely fallen asleep that afternoon and she imagined that the rest of them were downstairs, waiting for her to awaken from her nap. She even imagined joining them to drink tea, and perhaps she could insist on including some pastries everyday at teatime.

_Why didn't she wake me up? _Saya wondered thoughtfully. _Usually, she'd come and force me to leave the bed. _Slowly, she got up. _Why didn't anyone…_ the words that had formed in her mind disappeared quickly. She blinked.

…_what? _

She looked around in confusion. The room was small, simple furniture filling the corners. Instead of a magnificent lampstand, a small lampshade stood on a nightstand just beside the bed. The bed she was lying on was of regular size, something that even she saw as small. Everything regal that she had remembered was reduced to simpler inferior things (things which were still considerably expensive).

It only took a few moments before she recalled everything that had happened the previous night. The previous night, she thought. Was it even last night? How long had it been since she woke up? But even this seemed like a dream to her. Maybe she was still asleep. If this were a dream, she wanted to wake up. And she thought of waking herself up by pinching herself.

She pinched herself. The pain, no greater from an ant bite, felt real. This dream is a tricky one, she thought and pinched herself again, harder this time. The pain wasn't of much difference from the first, and still she didn't wake up. So she pinched herself again. And again.

She had done so several times, severing the pain each time. But nothing happened; she was still asleep, living this dream. _No_, she thought, too stubborn to face reality. _This should all be a dream! Everything should have been a dream! This should—_

Her thoughts were cut off when she bit hard on her tongue, hoping that this sort of pain might wake her up, or at least tell her nothing was real. She winced and uttered a small sound which was supposedly an 'ow'. Not soon afterwards, she tasted something salty and metallic in flavor. It was her blood; her tongue was bleeding.

_So this isn't a dream_, she thought soberly, now fully convinced. _So these _are_ real. I was driven away. I fought the Chiroptera, and now I'm here with Kai. _A sudden emotion ran through her, but even then, she didn't cry. She stood up, still dazed and everything seemed to whirl around her. This abrupt dizziness made her stagger; she sank back to bed, and looked back up at the ceiling.

-ns-

The room was getting dimmer. Looking through the window parallel to her bed, she could the see the pink-and-orange sky. She was fully awake by then, and now she went to the window and saw that she was high up, towering over some buildings. The dying light shone through the window; she lifted the pane higher, just in time to feel the light breeze. As the gentle wind brushed against her face, her forgotten pain brushed against her innermost core, and her heart faltered.

This unusual uneasiness made her see the room as no more than a prison cell, designed to lock her up forever. Not only did she feel lonely, now she felt cramped. Not liking both sensations, she decided to leave.

Quiet as a mouse, she unbolted the door, and closed it carefully behind her as soon as she was outside. She found out that she was staying at the very last room. She walked down the small corridor and passed nine doors either at her sides. Going through the doorway she found at the other end, she came into a wide living room. Another doorway lead to the kitchen and the dining room. The lights were already turned on there, and there were some noises of busy cooking. Saya quickly found the door leading outside and headed there.

"No, you hog!" a voice barked, startling her. It had been a long time since she heard that voice, but she recognized the voice as Mao's. Saya stopped for a brief while, and listened.

"Well, how should I know?" another voice, deep in tone, returned. This was obviously a man's voice, and Saya could not remember anyone having that sort of voice.

"You have to beat the eggs like _this_! Jeez, when will you ever learn to cook?"

_Mao…can cook? _Saya thought.

"Just because you're almost as good as Lewis, doesn't mean you have to show it off." There was a loud slap, loud enough for Saya to hear and imagine Mao slapping a man. There was a pained cry. "That hurt! What was _that _for?"

"For insulting me," she heard Mao reply. "Now get back to work, or I'll skin you alive."

"Okay, okay!" the man said hastily. "Sheesh…"

Saya smiled in spite of herself. But that did not stop her from leaving. As soon as she had left the building, she looked back up, and tried to search for the room she had been in. Too many windows, she thought, and started down the path.

-ns-

The sun had set, and there were still streaks of orange and pink to the west, gradually fading into the blackness that was filling the heavens. Saya was walking among the busy people, as if she were one of them. Little did they know what she was, and what she was capable of doing to them. They were prey, but Saya did not see them as that—at least not now. Strangely, she felt more human today.

She did not know where to go. Wandering in the streets, she somehow recognized some of the shops she passed by. Funny, she thought. She used to pass by these stores in a fancy limousine with people staring after them in absolute wonder and awe. But now, she was walking past them like any ordinary person, blending in with the crowd. Among these people, she was hardly anyone.

The darkness consumed the sky, but the city was bright enough to keep it at bay. As soon as the first few stars appeared, the streetlamps turned on. Other buildings and shops had their lights turned on before the streetlights did.

She had walked for at least two hours without rest. She wasn't tired at all, and wanted to keep on walking, even when she didn't know where exactly she was heading off to. She had passed a park or two, but having come across the curved lake which came between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens somehow caught her attention. She watched, from the edge of the lake, how some rowers were still out there in their boats. One contained lovers. Another held a small family. She watched with careful attention as the little girl dipped her small hand into the water and giggled, how the mother and father adored her and how they laughed together.

She walked off, heading to one of the fountains.

For some strange reason, she felt uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. This, she did not ignore. However, she continued walking calmly, showing no signs of alarm. Swift movement from one of the trees made her dart her eyes from one side to the other, but she still went on walking. Being a Chiropteran, she felt a familiar presence brush against hers. She reached out toward it, and it drew back quickly.

A light breeze brushed against her face. As the wind blew, she felt something, some swift stirring. It wasn't like the movement against the wind, she knew that; behind the rustling of the leaves, she heard movement.

Her fists clenched as she walked and slowed her pace. But she still looked straight forward, keeping a normal expression. She felt the presence grow stronger, the movements more evident and realized within those moments that it was heading off for her.

Something flashed.

Saya moved back, just in time to avoid a deadly swing from a large scythe. It struck the ground with enough force to make pebbles and dust explode in the air and to cause rather large crevices on the small pavement. She looked at the person who had tried to kill her, and recognized his face. "You…"

Moses straightened up and took his massive scythe in one hand. "It's unusual to see you alone here at night," he said. "But that gives us an advantage." Having said that, he surged forward.

Saya avoided it with ease. "I don't want to fight you," she said irritably. What she received as a reply was one quick strike from Moses. Something else tried to strike her as soon as she had escaped Moses' attack. There was a quick thrust and she moved back; a blade flashed but she was fast enough to avoid it. All these had happened in a matter of seconds, and she moved back to see who else had tried to attack her.

"We don't desire to fight you as well," Moses said as three more of his companions stood by his side. "But we have no choice." This signaled the attack, and all four Schiff made for her.

Had not it been for her advanced abilities, she would have been killed at the spot. With inhuman speed, she leaped back as all four weapons landed where she had stood seconds before. But as soon as the Schiff's feet touched solid ground, Karman headed for her.

"Leave me alone!" Saya cried angrily. Her words fell into deaf ears; she had no choice but to move further back, into the small forest of trees.

-ns-

One attack followed the other, and this proved very annoying for Saya. Every slash, every thrust and every strike the Schiff laid on her was wearing off the patience she tried to keep. She chose to defend herself, even when she knew how easy it would be to reciprocate their attacks. As a result, she was driven far back further into the small forest, where no light could see through. Dark as it may be, she had no problem dodging the Schiff's moves.

"Damn," Karman swore. "She's even stronger than before."

"She'll wear out sooner," Moses assured him. The Schiff were hidden amongst the trees, while Saya remained in the ground.

They tried to keep hidden, but it was so easy to spot them standing high on in the branches of the trees. "I told you I don't want to fight," she told them. "Leave me alone. You're wasting my time."

"Don't get so cocky!" Karman cried angrily, leaping from the trees.

She had refrained from using her true abilities, but her temper got the better of her. She sidestepped as he was inches from the ground, grabbed the spear's handle and shoved him forcefully away. Karman was driven back, and smashed into a tree. He groaned and helplessly sank to his feet.

"Karman!" Moses cried. He, Lulu and Gudrif were shocked. "How dare you do that to Karman!" he snarled at Saya. His blade flashed as he leaped from the branch. He swung his scythe at her, but the blade struck something far harder than flesh.

"What!" Moses cried, more in surprise than anger.

Saya stared up at that familiar back, and those broad shoulders. She was speechless.

Wordlessly, Haji shoved Moses away with the cello case he had used to protect his mistress. Moses, enraged, leaped back. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I am merely fulfilling my duties," Haji replied stoically. "And you should fulfill yours."

"I _am_!" Moses cried. By then, Karman stood by his side, holding a crushed shoulder. "Weren't we supposed to bring Saya back? This is what we're doing!"

"Your duties require you to bring Saya back in one piece," Haji returned.

"Do you think it would be easy?" Karman barked. "You clearly remember that she's still with Diva, don't you?" His words stung Saya, and she reacted to it. Haji sensed this.

"She's no longer with them," he said, choosing his words carefully. "So please step aside and allow her to leave in peace."

"How could you say that?" Moses said. "Don't you see how we're running out of time? We need Saya's blood if we have to survive!"

"Matters would be settled with patience and time," Haji replied. "Now please allow Saya to leave, because your lives depend on it." His emotionless voice held vague threat.

Haji rarely gave threats, and it surprised her when he did. He felt more protective this time. _Haji…_ she thought

The Schiff were clearly intimidated. In addition to Saya's deadly abilities (as they had seen it), Haji was there as well. They had no choice; even if they were suffering from a disease that was eating their very lives, they had to comply. "Fine," Moses said after a moment, his voice laced with evident irritation and reluctance. "We'll leave, but promise us this: you'll grant us what we need." He was obviously referring to Saya.

"Saya will decide."

This answer Haji gave irritated them. It was more or less a 'yes', and they had to avoid further injuries (other than Karman's), so Moses decided not to say anything else in the matter. Karman was about to blurt out something in his anger, but Moses placed a hand on his shoulder, which fortunately was enough to stop him from saying something they'd later regret. Moses looked at Saya and Haji before blurring out of sight. The rest followed suit. Karman was the last to go; he grumbled something, then disappeared with the rest.

A few moments of utter silence passed over the two.

Haji faced his Queen, and knelt before her feet. "Forgive me for not protecting you."

Saya looked at him, and somehow seeing him like this moved a part of her. "No," she said. "You've done enough." She looked up at the sky, then back at her Chevalier. "It's best that we leave."

"If that is what you wish," Haji replied.

-ns-

They could have traveled using Chiropteran speed, but Saya decided to walk like the rest of the people. Haji trailed behind her at a respectful distance. London was beautiful in the day, but it was more beautiful at night.

The girl, clearly amazed as though it was her first time to be in London, marveled at the bright lights and the statues bathing in them. Even the shops shone with colorful lights. In the midst of her fascination, she remembered seeing these lights, but she was in an expensive vehicle, comfortable then. The memory faded as quickly as it flashed through her mind, leaving her the sadness that lingered behind it.

She lowered her head, suppressing the emotions which abruptly flooded inside her. She had not realized that she had stopped walking in the middle of the crowd, ignoring the annoyed looks and the whispers of the impatient people behind her. When she looked to her side, she saw her Chevalier, gazing at her silently. His presence was enough to help her hold back her tears; she smiled lightly, grateful for the comfort he gave, and resumed walking. Haji walked just behind her.

-ns-

"Were where you?" These were the very first words spoken to her the moment she walked through the door.

The way Kai spoke made it seem like she was at fault. "I…" Saya saw that everyone inside the room had their eyes on her. She looked away. "I needed fresh air."

It sounded more like an excuse than a reasonable explanation. Kai wanted to say more, but the emotion which shone in her eyes, made him hold back his tongue. He would have died of worry had it not been for his optimism, and he tried to keep that attitude in her presence. His voice softened. "Let's eat; dinner is ready."

Saya didn't say anything. She looked at him, and he smiled.

The rest of them, David, Lewis, Julia, Mao and Okamura, had said nothing. Mao wanted to approach Saya, to tell her how her new hairstyle suited her, and then perhaps ask her if they could go shopping the next day. She was tired of having to go out with men like Okamura and Kai. Okamura wanted to interview Saya as much David wanted to ask how Saya escaped, or possibly even something about Cinq Fléche's plans. Julia wanted to inspect her, to check her health, to see how stronger she had become since David and Kai had said so. Lewis wanted to teach her how to cook, because he hoped he could teach her the way he taught Mao, who was now almost as good of a cook as he was.

But Kai only wanted to eat dinner with her, with all them as one family.

-ns-

Dinner wasn't as pleasant at all. An unbreakable silence hung in the air, and the small clinks and clatters of silverware hitting lightly into plates were the only noise. Saya didn't bother to glance at anyone; she only looked down at her plate the whole time and concentrated on the food she was eating. It was a fairly delicious meal, but somehow, it was lacking.

"How are you feeling?" Julia asked out of the blue.

It took a while before Saya realized it was her Julia was talking to. She looked up from her plate for the first time, and saw that everyone was looking at her, waiting for her answer. She averted her gaze, somehow not withstanding those faces she had come to recognize as another part of her. "I'm feeling quite…well." Her lips were partly closed, so it seemed as though she was mumbling. Fortunately, Julia heard it.

She smiled. "I see."

Another uncomfortable pause filled the space.

Kai had been observing Saya for the whole time, glancing at her every now and then. He saw the state she was in, clearly uneasy with every one of them. Likewise, they felt the same with her. She carried this atmosphere which defined her new personality, and which, strangely repelled them. Despite this, he wanted to say something, at least strike up a conversation that could enlighten the awkward situation they were currently in. _Say something_, he urged himself. Quickly, he tried to think of some interesting subject.

He mustered his courage and opened his mouth to speak. "Saya—"  
"If you'll excuse me," Saya stood up, quickly cutting off what Kai was about to say to her, "I'll be heading back to my room." She didn't seem to have noticed what Kai was about to tell her; her mood somehow gloomier than ever, she left the table, leaving everyone to stare after her in wonder.

Kai was about to stand up to follow her, but David grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat.

"Don't go after her," he said grimly. "Let her alone for the meantime. I need her to calm down before I could question her regarding some matters."

Kai shrugged his hand off and grudgingly sat down. He looked back at the plate Saya had left. _You barely even finished your food._

-ns-

For no apparent reason she had lost her appetite, and that was why she left the table, rude as it may have seemed. In her presence, they were repulsed by her, and she felt it. Offended by this and ashamed as well, she decided to leave. At least neither of them would be at discomfort.

She passed through the doorway and in the living room, saw the Chevalier still standing before the wide glass. In the shimmering light, Haji looked like a living statue. The sight reminded her of something she didn't want to remember.

She stared at him in wonder, then quickly, sadness struck her heart. She resumed walking, silently going past him who made no move to follow her. She disappeared when she turned to a corner leading to the small corridor. At the slightest movement or gesture, he could have followed her. But she did not and he respected her decision.

She closed the door behind her as she entered her room. What she was going to do, she did not know. She wasn't tired, but she collapsed into bed as if she was exhausted.

Bright lights from the outside shone faintly through the window. She looked up at the ceiling as the sadness consumed her heart.

She closed her eyes for a few moments then opened them again, looking straight up the ceiling, trying her best to imagine she was lying in that king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling of that mansion.

For a few moments, it actually worked. But something was lacking. Even if she was lying in that king-sized bed, she would always be lonely. She knew that; some part of her knew that. Slowly, she was being pulled back into reality. But she resisted; she didn't want to admit that she was no longer where she once was.

She'll soon come back, she thought hopelessly. Her throat tightened; she was only hurting herself by living in a delusion. But if living in this falsity required pain, she would accept it.

She'll come back, I'm sure of it, she assured herself.

Time stretched on, and the dream she wanted to forever live in was fading. She was losing hope. She's just downstairs, she told herself, her eyes burning. She bit her lip when she knew it was a lie. All just a lie. She'll come back, I'm sure of it…!

She'll come back… Saya closed her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks.

_And when she comes back, I'll throw a pillow at her, and she'll try to throw one back._ She gritted her teeth, suppressing a cry. _Then we'll have a pillow fight and I'll tickle her, and we'll soon be tired. _

_Then we'll fall asleep, both of us, and it'll be quiet again._

-ns-

She was asleep, or at least pretended to, when someone slowly entered the room and approached her. A hand gently lifted her head, and when it was put back, she felt something soft and realized it was a pillow. The bed she lay on was bare of any pillows and stuffed toys—she had destroyed them already, and up 'till then, they lay scattered on the floor.

She felt a blanket be pulled up to her shoulder.

"Sleep well, Diva," a voice said softly in the darkness. Afterwards, she heard him leave the room and close the door. She could hear his footsteps turn softer and softer until she could no longer hear anything at all.

It was silent, and she was alone in the king-sized bed, staying in a room she had once shared.

Emptiness gripped her in the chest, and she felt like something was missing. Something really was missing, but she failed to acknowledge it.

She knew it was Solomon who placed the pillow under her head and the blanket over her cold body. In spite of herself, she pretended it was Saya who placed them. She wanted to dwell in that belief, even when it was false.

She wasn't tired, but she closed her eyes. Later, she really was asleep, still living in the delusion which warmed her where she was cold.

So it was Saya who put her to sleep.

* * *

_Three weeks and this was all I could make. I'm…sorry. If I was in the highest of spirits, I would have made something far better, something worth your trouble for reading. But I felt a bit down the whole time, and it sure didn't improve my crappy writing. _

_Twelve pages of utter nonsense…forgive me for being pessimistic. If it annoys you, it can't be helped._

_I didn't put my heart into it, couldn't express it the way I did and…heh. Look at the outcome. _

_I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I wish I didn't. _

_It would really be nice if anyone would review about this chapter, even when it sucks. If I could say this with a genuine smile, I would. _

_I can't guarantee quick updates from now on. So bear with me. Oh, and if you saw some spelling or grammatical errors, I must have been too distracted to notice the wretched mistake._

_Thanks for reading. Goodbye for now. _


	30. Chapter 25: A Faltering Mask

_If I'm not mistaken, it's been two weeks since the last update. I really had a lot of trouble with the chapter such as—aww, hell. Nah. Don't bother knowing. I just had nothing else to say. If I were to say something else, I'd only give some dull remark on how this chapter…_sucks_. Oh, what do you know, I just said it! Oh, _**joy**.

_Here's the result of my two-week effort:_

* * *

Chapter XXV

A Faltering Mask

_Dreams flickered in his still-unconscious mind. For a few moments, it was blackness; then he saw, at a far distance, a small figure, walking._

"_Hey," he called, "I don't know where the way is here, and I really have to get back to Omoro." The figure continued to walk, seeming to have not heard him. "Hey, can you hear me? Do you know where this place is?" he went on. Thinking he still wasn't heard, he ran after him. _

_As he neared the figure, he saw that it wasn't a man, but a girl. With her back against him, he could only see as a distinct feature was her dark hair, reaching down to her shoulders. Then he noticed her gait, and easily recognized who it was that was walking a few meters in front of him._

"_Saya!" he called. She didn't even look back at him, even when she was within hearing range. "I don't know where I am. Why don't we go home together?" He was sure she could have heard him, but she didn't react to any of what he said, not stopping, not looking back, not even giving a reply. He slowed down. "Saya?" he said, his voice now unsure whether it really was Saya he was talking to. "Saya?" he ran once more, hoping to catch up with her. _

"_Saya, wait up!" But even when he began running, he could not reach her. She was walking and he was running, but still, he could not catch up. The distance remained the same between him and her._

"_Saya!" he called, desperately now, fearing, for some unusual reason, that she might disappear. "Saya! Please don't go! Please…!" His pleading might have worked because the girl stopped walking, but did n__ot turn back to face him._

"_Saya!" Relief overcame the fear in his voice as he quickened his pace and the gap closed in between them. "Saya, I'm so glad…" His voice trailed off. He stood beside the spot where Saya had once been standing on. "Saya?" He looked around in vain. No one was around. Saya was gone. "Sa—"_

_Something dropped to his feet. He looked down; lying on the black floor was a doll. He bent to pick it up and examined it. Strangely, the doll had the exact same clothes Saya was wearing, the same hair… His eyes widened at the realization._

"…_Saya?"_

_Tack. Tack. Tack._

_There was something clicking._

_Kai spun around._

_Tack. Tack. Tack._

_The pupils of his eyes dilated horribly._

_Tack. Tack. Tack…_

A few moments passed in silence. From a distance, he heard a faint honking of car. There were some other distant noises he hardly paid attention to.

He blinked.

It was only then that he realized he was no longer asleep. _I'm…awake_. This dull statement was followed by other random thoughts, most of which passed through his mind for only a matter of seconds.

It was still dark. He glanced at the time on the nightstand; it was 4:19 AM. _Too early, _he thought drowsily. _Too early… _He decided it was best to sleep up until 6:00 AM. There were no Chiropteran-slaying missions assigned to them anyway. He pulled the thick blanket up 'till his shoulders, shifted comfortably on his side, and closed his eyes.

He was so drowsy that he hardly noticed the noise from outside. His senses, still dulled by sleep, were unable to identify the sound at once. Almost automatically, he lifted his head slightly, pulled the pillow, and placed it over his head, trying to block out this noise. It didn't help at the least; he could still hear them. Still, he stubbornly squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to sleep. He was sleepy, so sleepy he could've fallen asleep at once, but the noise wouldn't stop. He may be sleepy, but his temper could flare as easily as fire ignited with any combustible material.

His lips pulled into a deep frown—the first sign of irritation. He tried to tolerate these sounds for a while longer, hoping they would stop sooner or later. But the longer he waited, the louder and more constant the noise became. That was the last straw.

"Hell," he muttered, barely making out the word through his partly closed lips. He sat up, mumbling things even he could not comprehend, and planted his feet on the floor. He knew where the noise came from and glared up at the ceiling, as if his annoyed look would stop whatever was happening above. There happened to be an open area which almost occupied the whole floor above theirs. At times, especially at dawn, the Chevalier would play on his cello there, as if welcoming the new day with his sullen music. But it wasn't music today, it was noise. Really annoying noise which prevented him from having the rest he deserved.

Now he was a bit more awake than asleep, and was more conscious to know that these sounds were peculiar. A strange noise, he thought drowsily. Strange noises…almost sounding like clangs. Like…metal contacting heavily with metal.

His irritation was overcome with curiosity with this unusual yet familiar sound. He stood up almost immediately; wobbling a bit on his weak legs, then regained his balance and walked to the door. Without bothering to fix his bed, he headed out of the room.

The hallway was dim, and the air, chilly. Kai, a slumberous form only partly awakening from sleep, dragged his feet to the light at the end of the corridor. A light, he was sure was from the living room. (He barely was able to keep his eyes open. With some effort, he was able to lift the heavy lids.) As soon as he got there, he found no one. The light from the bulb had blinded him for a few seconds when he walked straight into the room without much thought. As soon as his eyes (much wider now) adjusted to the light, he looked around, studying his surroundings more carefully. His vision played no tricks; no one really was around.

His senses were beginning to work better as soon as he grew more alert. The noise continued; he looked up. Now excitement gripped him. Somehow, he had to go up as soon as possible to see what was causing this unusual sound. Without wasting a moment, he left the room, and climbed the stairs (he decided to use them since it would be some good exercise and besides it was just the next floor). As he headed to the next floor, he somehow had an idea of what was happening.

-ns-

Pushing through the twin metal doors, he saw a small group standing a short distance away, their back turned against him. He easily recognized them: they were David, Lewis, Julia, Okamura and Mao. All five looked back at him.

"You're late," Lewis said with a smile.

"What's going on?" Kai asked curiously. The noise was clearer now and he was right: they were clangs. Metallic sounds resounding through the morning air. As he approached the group, David and Lewis made a space between them where he could easily see through. His heart raced with what might have been excitement when he saw what was happening.

Saya and Haji were engaged in a fight.

-ns-

Saya gripped the handle of her blade, a new weapon which replaced the one she lost in Siberia. It was indeed a fine weapon, and she could not help but admire it as it was: a tool designed to shed blood. But she wasn't to spill fluid as crimson as her eyes right now. It was merely practice.

Her trainer, or she preferred to see him as a trainee, stood a few meters away, his dangerous clawed appendage still partly wrapped in bandages. They had exchanged powerful blows previously, but none seemed to be worn from battle, despite the strength they had to deliver to reciprocate the attacks they received.

She positioned her blade readily, her movement smooth and intimidating. This drew no reaction from her own Chevalier, though it was enough to actually make one of her spectators flinch inwardly.

Her heartbeat thudded slowly as she took in one, deep breath. One heartbeat. Two. At the third thump, she blurred out of sight, only reappearing when she clashed against Haji. Haji, for his part, blocked it with evident ease, using a dagger which Saya had not noticed him taking out. She prolonged her attack by trying to break through his defenses. The Chevalier slid his dagger free and lashed out at her, but she was already standing a few meters away by the time he tried to retaliate. He braced himself for the coming attacks; he knew it was going to be difficult.

-ns-

All were stunned beyond words. The group watched in silence as the combatants fought with outstanding ferocity.

"I never thought that she would be that strong," Lewis remarked.

"And her speed has increased considerably," David added.

"It's very much interesting," Julia observed. Her companions looked at her, but she kept her eyes on Saya and Haji. "She may be close to acquiring the same capabilities of Diva. Strength and agility are some noticeable changes."

Kai looked from Julia to Saya, pondering over what the doctor had said. "…the same capabilities of Diva…" he repeated blankly.

-ns-

It was foolish to avoid the coming attack. As she swung her blade at him, he used his dagger to block it. But the force of her blow was so strong that the dagger was sent flying from his grip. It landed a few meters away with a faint _clang_. Now he was unarmed, and though he could take another dagger and continue this fight, he chose to recognize that he was defeated. She had all the rights to receive his recognition. After all, she was his Queen. He knelt respectfully before her in silent acknowledgement, lowering his head.

All throughout the fight, he merely defended himself, hardly returning a blow she inflicted on him. When he did attack, it was in retaliation; he never chose to attack first. When he did land a blow, he did not exert the same speed and strength he usually did when facing a lowly Chiropteran. He intentionally made it miss, or slowed it so that she could move back to evade him. If, from the eyes of a human, he was seemingly serious in engaged combat, to her, it was child's play. To her, it seemed that she was only winning because he allowed it willingly. It was so insulting that instead of feeling proud now that she had unarmed him and he was kneeling humbly before her in recognition of her triumph, she was irritated. A part of her sought satisfaction in the defeat of her Chevalier, but this deliberate victory proved to be rubbish to her, taunting her, annoying her.

"Get up," she ordered in a cold voice, casting her sharp eyes on the kneeling Chevalier. Haji remained motionless. "Get up," she repeated, "and fight me, Haji."

"I believe I have lost in the duel," came the monotonous reply. The head respectfully remained lowered.

"No." Saya's eyes narrowed on him. "Stop playing games and fight me for real. Fight me the way you would to 'her'…" she blurred out of sight and reappeared a short distance away. _And that's an order_.

"If that is what you wish." Having said this, Haji stood up, walked calmly to where his dagger lay and picked it up. He faced her, holding the small weapon in his clawed appendage.

A momentary silence ensued.

Saya took in a deep breath and blinked. She realized Haji was heading for her and held out her sword just in time to block a deadly strike. When they clashed, he suddenly drew back, and then attacked with surprising speed. A clang echoed as the two battled for dominance. Saya could feel, for the first time since they fought, the force of his blow pushing through her defenses. She was stronger though, and with slight difficulty, she fought back, The Chevalier retreated once more and so unexpectedly that Saya almost stumbled. She regained her balance and saw, a few meters away, her Chevalier.

A small wind blew. In the breeze, the last few bandages fell off as his clawed hand convulsed and opened completely, revealing the true size of his horrific appendage. He held it close to his face, now shadowed with an unreadable expression, and prepared to attack.

Again, with surprising speed, he dove straight for her. She stepped back and quickly deflected it with a strong swing. The dagger slipped from his grip once more and ended up at a considerable distance. But it wasn't then end; the moment he lost his dagger, he drew out another one, which surprised Saya, and lashed out at her. Saya was able to evade, and leaped back.

-ns-

"I don't understand," Kai said, anxiously watching Haji and Saya. "Why are they still fighting?"

"The first time Haji fought her," Okamura said, folding his arms, "it wasn't the sort of battle style I see him use when he's facing a Chiropteran. You don't think he fought seriously, now do you?" He looked back at his companions.

"Saya didn't seem pleased," Lewis acknowledged. "It's possible that she told him to fight more seriously."

"So that gives us a reason to stop the fight!" Kai said, now more worried than ever. He glanced back at the fight; Saya was returning a few blows to Haji. "If they continue this fight, what chance would Saya stand against him?"

"That's unlikely," Julia said. Kai looked at her. "You don't really think," the doctor gazed back at him, "that Saya would lose, now do you? She's…different. She won't allow defeat, I can assure you. It's all written on her face."

Kai didn't want to believe her. He looked back at his sibling, who was moving back just as Haji made another swipe, and his heart raced just as he imagined what might have happened if Saya was unable to dodge that attack. A hand rested on her shoulder; he looked back only to see Mao. "Don't worry," the teenage girl assured. "I don't think Haji would go so far so as to slice her apart."

-ns-

The fight had reached an hour or so in total, and still, the battle didn't seem like it would stop anytime then. Against the brightening sky, she stood, perfectly poised for battle. The next moment, she surged forward, using Chiropteran speed, and clashed against him. They exchanged powerful blows, her with a gleaming katana, he with a small dagger. Now she was getting tired, not physically, but somehow, just fed up with having to fight him. It was almost close to boredom. She was slightly weary, too, and wanted to cease, not for rest, but for peace of mind.

The sun was beginning to rise by then.

She employed more strength in her blows, and he felt it. He leaped back and directed three daggers at her. She deflected all three with an effortless swing, and went after him. He landed on one knee, took out yet another dagger and lifted it in time to block out a powerful move. A few more strikes exchanged. A clang ensued; the dagger fell on the ground. She raised her sword for the final time, and in those few moments, her blade caught the first few rays of sunlight, gleaming so majestically in the cold air. She raised it, brought it down and pointed it directly at Haji, who still retained a blank expression.

A feeling of satisfaction seeped into her, but it wasn't enough to alter the straight expression she wore. _Thank you_. Without having to speak these words, she dropped her sword to his feet, turned away and left.

-ns-

It had all happened so quickly, that Kai could hardly even think that it was done. The battle was over, and it was Saya who emerged the winner. He was overcome with joy and pride. The rest of his companions were of no difference. They were astounded to see how Saya had disarmed her Chevalier three times, and without having to tire as easily as she did in the past. This girl who was walking toward them so sullenly, was very much different from the girl who was so clumsy and helpless. There was no sign of exhaustion; she wasn't even sweating, and she kept a straight face.

They all went to congratulate her. She forced a smile, nodded a bit, and left at once. They chose not to follow her; her aura said all that for her.

The moment her back was turned against them and they couldn't see her, the smile disappeared.

-ns-

Now he learned how it felt to be overcome by someone else. That someone was no other than Saya, and rightly so. She was his Queen, the one who sired him, the only one he'd live for and serve, the only person he would view more important than life itself. For the first time, he felt it, as he stared at the ground, that small colorful emotion filling a portion of his chest. Even when she wore that blank expression, to be dominated by her was enough.

He stood up, just as Kai was walking up to him, picked up the katana in front of him, and the other daggers lying scattered in the area.

-ns-

There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as he set her gaze on him, and the two girls that he had presented before her. The black American flinched inwardly, unable to withstand that venomous glare in her look.

"Why are there two of them?"

It was a simple question, but his mind, frozen with fear, could not comprehend.

She was annoyed, but annoyed enough to let out a sly smile. "What exactly did you have in mind, my dear little James," she approached him in smooth strides, "bringing two meals instead of one?" He almost looked like he would flee if he had the chance to. But he remained fixed firmly in place, with that expression of undeniable fear on his face. "Did you want to turn me fat, like all those other plump, tasteless humans?" she rested a delicate hand on his cheek and felt his muscles tense, "or did you wish to insult me by implying something? Either way, I've found them really annoying." She ran her pale hand down from his jaw, to his chin.

He opened his mouth to speak, but even his tongue was frozen by fear. He quickly knelt on one knee, lowering his head in the most respectful manner. "I…It was unintentional, Diva," he managed to answer. "I never intended to insult you." He gulped.

She was contemplating on whether or not she'd strangle him, but his fear amused her. It was laughable, really, but she suppressed this by merely widening her sardonic smile. And besides, she preferred to keep her hands clean. She glanced at the two girls, both still young, pretty little creatures, wearing the same fearful look (Nathan and Karl were handling them). They did seem very much tasty; she licked her lips, imagining the sweetness of their blood running down her throat.

"I don't want to eat them," she said finally, turning away. She didn't feel like eating anymore. Her dear James had ruined her appetite.

"You no longer wish to have them for breakfast?" Amshel asked, speaking in place of the tongue-tied Chevalier.

"You didn't hear me?" Diva stopped and looked at them. "I said I don't want to eat."

"That is an unhealthy thing to do, Diva," Amshel stated dryly.

"And it's none of your business," the blue-eyed girl returned sweetly, turning away and skipping once more.

There was no use arguing, since her decision was final. It was unwise to insist on something she refused to do, or get involved in. Amshel chose to be quiet, and this time, it was Solomon who spoke. "And what are we to do with these two?"

"Let them go," was the facile answer.

Every one of the Chevaliers was stunned.

"Let them go…?" Solomon repeated slowly. "Are you sure, Diva?"

There was no answer. The girl was gone.

-ns-

Deep in thought, she headed for the floor beneath her. Thankfully, none of her spectators dared follow after her, not even Kai. She headed straight to her room, the only safe place so far. 'Safe' in a way that it kept her away from reality, from having to always face the bitter truth.

It was quiet inside. Nothing seemed to have changed. The same bed, the same furniture…

It was almost six; the sun had risen half-way. She went to the window, and looked out. Far below, the people were no more like ants, busy, occasionally bumping each other. How unlike the ants, she told herself. They look like them, but they sure don't act like them. So incoherent. She frowned at this. So disorderly.

The sunlight gradually warmed her face. But there was still something lacking. She knew that everything couldn't be warmed by the all-seeing sun. But not even this, she could admit. She couldn't say she wanted to feel warm inside the way she did outside, because she feared that someone might overhear her. And then if they knew, if they knew how she felt about 'her', about them, and how she longed for that thing, it would all be over.

-ns-

"Breakfast is ready," Mao said, turning the stove off and facing them.

"It seems we've settled a new record," Lewis said with a grin, looking at the food she had cooked, and back at her. "Quality food cooked within a short span of time."

Mao shrugged. "Big deal," she said nonchalantly. "At least I'm skilled enough to help Kai in Omoro once we get back to Okinawa." She turned to face Kai, who was leaning on the counter opposite her. The young man didn't seem to be listening to whatever was being said. He was staring blankly at something, completely distracted.

"Hey," Mao called. Kai snapped out of whatever he was thinking, and looked at her. "Look," she told him, "If you so badly want to ask her to eat breakfast with us, there's nothing wrong in asking."

Kai frowned. "That's not what I've been thinking about."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mao said hastily. "Just go and ask 'cause everyone's hungry."

Kai gave her a look, but straightened up and left the kitchen anyway.

"And don't worry," Mao assured as he went through the doorway, "We'll wait for both of you."

"We will?" Okamura said in dismay.

"Dare lift a spoon," Mao growled, "And I'll make sure you're in the menu next."

-ns-

He stood before the door to Saya's room, unable to decide whether he should knock on the entrance or not. _Maybe I shouldn't bother her_, he thought. _Besides, she must be tired after all that fighting. Then again_, he paused. _Whenever she's tired, she's always hungry. _That was true, based from his experience. His sibling always wanted to eat right after practice, or when they used to go home from school.

He wasn't sure now. A lot of things weren't the same anymore. But he was still determined to let her join breakfast. Some things were different. But not all were.

He knocked on the door once, twice. Then he stopped and waited for a few minutes. He heard nothing, no sound of movement from within. "Saya?" he said, knocking twice or thrice. "Saya, it's time to eat. Everyone's waiting for you." He didn't say anything else and waited once more.

There was no reply. _Maybe she isn't coming after all_, he thought. Fully convinced by this idea, he turned to leave.

He heard the door open behind him. "It's time to eat?" a voice said, rather drowsily. Kai turned around. Saya walked out of the door and closed it behind her. "Sorry," she apologized, rubbing an eye, "I fell asleep."

"Oh." That was all he could say. "I see," he said, forcing a smile. "So it must have exhausted you, that fight with Haji."

To his surprise, Saya smiled right back at him. "No, not really," she answered.

They walked in silence for a while. When they reached the living room, Saya saw, out of the corner of her eye, her Chevalier standing in a solitary corner. She stopped walking and faced him.

"Saya?" Kai said, puzzled.

"Haji," Saya called, ignoring her brother, "Come and eat with us. Breakfast isn't enjoyable if someone's missing." What she said very much surprised Kai. He was sure she wasn't too cheerful an hour ago.

Naturally, Haji listened to his mistress' voice and in a moment was kneeling before her. "Forgive me if I have done something which offended you during the fight."

"You haven't offended me at all. Actually, I enjoyed it," Saya replied, smiling down on him. "Come on; they're waiting, aren't they?"

Haji immediately stood up and followed behind the siblings as they headed to the kitchen.

-ns-

"Good morning, Saya," Lewis greeted mildly as soon as all three came through the doorway. Everyone else looked followed his gaze and set their eyes on the girl. To their astonishment, Saya greeted back with the same cheerfulness. She greeted David and he merely inclined his head; Julia and Mao smiled when she greeted the both of them. Then Saya turned to the man with the green vest. He didn't look like anyone she knew. The questioning look on her face said everything.

"Oh, uhm," Okamura quickly sat up in the proper sitting position when he realized she was looking at him. This was his chance to introduce himself, the very first step to getting that interview he longed to have with her. "My name is Okamura Akihiro, and I'm—"

"A total jerk," Mao finished for him, placing the steaming-hot food on the table. "We know that already, so enough with the introduction."

"I wasn't even talking to you," Okamura said irritably.

"You are now." The teenage girl saw the seriousness in his eyes for the first time, and knew this is what he had waited for, for a long time. "You want me to give the details here? Fine." She faced Saya, whom Julia had invited to sit.

"Hey, I should—"

"As he had said, his name is Okamura Akihiro. He's a photojournalist working for this local paper in Okinawa, and he's come all this way because he's wanted to interview you about certain matters." After having said this to Saya, who wasn't able to give any reaction yet, she turned yet again to Okamura. "There. I've summarized it so you wouldn't have a trouble saying things you wouldn't need to say."

"What?" Okumura said indignantly. "That was too short! This isn't a school to give short introductions."

"And this isn't a job interview for a long one," Mao returned.

The rest who were listening were very much entertained by the scene between the two. Lewis and Kai laughed; David, Julia and Saya merely smiled.

As a peaceful intervention, Saya stood up and held out her hand to the photojournalist. "It's nice meeting you, Mr. Okamura."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Otonashi," Okamura said, shaking hands vigorously with her. _Her hands are rough_, he observed. "At least you know how to respect your elders," he told her, "unlike a certain someone here."

"Say that again and I'll deep-fry you," Mao said, smacking him.

Everyone laughed again.

-ns-

Unlike the previous meal, this one was enjoyable. The conversation was lively, so Kai had observed. Saya was asked some questions, and she answered them. She asked some questions of her own, like how Kaori was doing, and they answered her, saying she was doing fine.

"I would have wanted to examine you," Julia told Saya, after chewing on her food. "But I needed to know if it's okay with you."

"I'm fine with that," Saya replied. "When will you have me examined anyway?"

"Any day would do, but perhaps not today."

"How about tomorrow?" Saya suggested.

"Of course."

Kai had noticed something. Although they have been conversing for half an hour now, they never touched the subject on Saya's previous life with her twin. _They're warming her up for the big questions they'll soon be asking, I'm sure_, he thought. _But I don't think they'd ask her now. They'll give her time._

"So it's you who cooked breakfast?" Saya asked Mao, who sat across the table. "It tastes great!"

"Really?" Mao said, obviously flattered. "Thanks."

"How did you learn how to cook?"  
"Lewis taught me."

"She was very clumsy the first time she cooked," Lewis said with a broad grin.

"Yeah, she couldn't even beat eggs!" Okamura joined in.

"Shut up!" Mao snapped. "It's not like you could do it any better."

Whilst a new argument was arising between the two, Haji had been standing at one place, quietly listening to everything that was being said. He watched Saya with close attention, observing the frequent smiles on her face, and the laughs she burst into.

-ns-

As soon as breakfast was done, Saya left the dining room. She helped out a bit with cleaning the table and arranging the chairs, and exited the place. David and Lewis and Okamura had left the place; Julia helped out with cleaning the area, while Kai helped Mao with the dishes. Kai insisted they'd do the washing.

"It's alright," he assured. "We could do this."

There wasn't much she could do, so she left. Her Chevalier trailed behind her. As soon as they reached the corridor, Saya said in a low voice, "You may leave me for the meantime, Haji." Haji immediately stopped walking and watched as Saya continued down the corridor by herself. He saw her enter her own room at the far end, then heard the door close. So he stood there, his eyes still fixed at that particular spot where she disappeared.

-ns -

As soon as the door was closed, she leaned heavily against it, lowering her head. In here, where she was alone once more, it was so silent. In the kitchen from where she came from, it was noisy, filled with lively, happy people. Happy people, she repeated. Happy people. They're all so happy, aren't they? The minutes stretched on, and she heard no reply, nor could she think of one herself. Happy, so happy. Something was swelling in her chest. Perhaps too happy… Her fists clenched.

They're all so happy and I'm the exact opposite. This thought triggered something; her throat tightened. _How long must I put up with this fake act_, she thought bitterly, _fooling them and making them think I'm as happy as they are…? _It was so disturbing that she could feel her eyes well up with tears. _How long must I play the trickster? How long must I be the hypocrite? _ Thesmile had immediately disappeared from her lips, altering the image she bore. It didn't take long before she was crying again. She went to the bed and sobbed in a pillow, not wanting to let the rest hear her. She was so guilty, guilty at having to be the person she no longer was.

Once more, she was Saya of the new. Saya the Chiropteran. Saya the Queen.

She was Saya who missed her twin.

-ns-

Saya didn't go out all throughout the day. Kai asked his companions if they had seen Saya leave her room. But they only said she still hadn't come out. It was midafternoon when Mao was preparing the table, setting plates and silverware for lunch. Meanwhile, Lewis was cooking the food since it was his turn.

"Go and check on her because lunch is ready," Mao told him as she placed the tablemats underneath each plate. Kai obeyed, naturally.

He was before the door to Saya's room, and was deciding whether he would call her or not. _She hasn't come out all through the morning_, he thought. _She might have fallen asleep right after she ate. _That was likely. After all, he recalled (with a smile suddenly quirking at the corner of his lips) back in Omoro how Saya would fall asleep half-way through her ramen. As long as she was satisfied with her meal, it was already some sort of habit for her to take a nap. (During those times, Riku would advise Saya that it wasn't good to sleep right after having a heavy meal. He, on the other hand, would watch her gobble up her food, close her eyes in satisfaction, and after a minute or two, fall asleep. George would only give a loud laugh, which always startled Saya awake, and they'd all end up laughing. But there was a time when Saya somehow became 'immune' to George's laughter, and they'd have to shake her awake; other times, they would fail, and give up, and George would carry her up to her room, place her in her bed and pull the covers to her shoulders.)

Feeling a surge of confidence, he knocked on the door, and called "Saya" for a number of times, pausing at some points when he thought she might have to wake up because of her irritation. After ten minutes, the door opened and his sibling stepped out.

"It's lunch already?" Saya asked. "What time is it?"

"Yeah, and it's," Kai checked his watch, "around 1:35. Lewis kind of cooked late 'cause they came only an hour ago."

"Ah…"

There was something in that feedback of hers. He noticed something in her face, like it was damp from…crying. "Are you okay?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine." Her tone seemed normal, and he could sense no emotions from the way she spoke.

"Well, if that's the case, let's go and have lunch together." His sibling nodded and followed him.

-ns-

Saya consciously tried to maintain a smile on her face when she passed through the entrance to the kitchen where everyone already was.

"How are you feeling?" Julia asked.

"I'm feeling quite okay," Saya replied, silently hoping the doctor wouldn't notice any signs of crying on her face. To her relief, the doctor merely nodded with a "That's good" and motioned her to sit among them. The doctor didn't notice anything, or might have chosen to. This, Saya didn't think about.

Their lunch was beef casserole, a dish which was new to Saya. It was a splendid meal, and she was hungry. It was only natural that she eat large sums of it.

"She eats that much?" Okamura asked Kai in an undertone.

"Yes," Kai replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, for one thing, she eats more than an average man does."

Kai gave a short laugh. "Get used to it."

Meanwhile, the others were having conversations of their own. Julia was talking to Mao, while Lewis was conversing with David. Saya, on the other hand, was concentrating on the food. Sadness may be one thing which could alter her attitude, but food was another. Though not often, it was food which manipulated her mood. Her sadness cleared out for the fact that it wasn't severe—at least not yet.

Gradually, her gloominess disappeared with each bite of the oh-so-wonderful beef casserole. Instead of having to think of how sad she should be right now, she ate instead, spoonful after spoonful. It was funny to think how she was crying so bitterly in her room for almost the whole morning, and the next moment, here she was, eating among these happy people, almost as happy as they were. No one really cared how much she ate since they were used to it. They let her enjoy her meal (since it was so obvious in her elated expression as she chewed on her food). Mao and Okamura couldn't help but glance at her from time to time.

By the time everyone was done, Saya had finished four plates of beef casserole. Lewis grinned when he looked into the pot and discovered it was empty. Everyone ate quite a lot, but it was Saya who finished the rest.

"You should seriously learn how to cook, Saya," Mao told her. "You shouldn't just be eating food. You should learn how to cook it! That way, you would have nothing to worry about when no one's here to cook for you."

"You think so?" Saya said.

"It'll be fun!" Mao assured. "I promise you. Even Kai and Lewis could help." Both men who were mentioned were within hearing range; they smiled. "And then Okamura could be an assistant," Mao added, giving a sly sideways glance to Okamura, who gulped and nodded (since he had no other options). "What do you say?"

"That…that's nice," Saya said, letting out a wry smile. "Alright." Already, the effects of the food she just ate were wearing down, and she felt like being more skeptical.

Her "Alright" seemed more like a 'no' than a 'yes'. But it didn't matter now that she agreed.

-ns-

With a stomach full of her newly-discovered meal, she suddenly felt drowsy. She told the rest that she'd go to her room. As she headed there, she was beginning to feel bad again. But she was too sleepy to entertain the growing sadness in her chest. She was so sleepy she hardly even noticed Haji, who stood quiet as a mouse, when she passed by him. The Chevalier watched her with steady eyes, and would have helped her had it not been for the instinctive feeling he had to leave her alone for the time being.

As soon as she was inside her room, she laid herself in bed and fell asleep.

She only woke up when it was dark. Checking the time on the nightstand, she saw that it was somewhere past ten. She didn't switch the lampshade on; the city lights were enough. As soon as she stood up, she heard it. She heard music playing. It was familiar music, music which gave her a momentary feeling of nostalgia. Only one person would be playing solemn music at such a time in the night. Quickly, Saya left the room. The corridor was dark and everything was quiet. The light from the living room helped her see things; but even without the lights, it would hardly make a difference.

As she walked down the silent corridor, she guessed that everyone was already asleep. When she came into the living room and saw the doorway leading to the kitchen (where the lights were turned off), she also realized she hadn't eaten dinner. A vague memory flickered in her mind: she did remember hearing knocks on her door, and some voice call her name over and over. But she was too sleepy to react to any of these, and had went on into deep slumber.

And now she was hungry. But she could ignore it for the meantime. She had to go to that person who was playing on the cello at that particular time.

-ns-

She found him on the next floor, dark figure against the star-dotted sky and the night lights of the city. Even when she came through the metal door, he did not stop from playing on the cello. She stood a short distance behind him, closed her eyes and listened.

What Haji played was indeed wonderful, wonderful in a way which sparked that unlocked mystery of which may never even be revealed. As the music flowed melodiously in the night air, thoughts and memories ran through her mind, soothing her, comforting her troubled mind. This soon ended after a few moments. She stood there, silently waiting for another musical piece, or perhaps a repetition. But the Chevalier had noticed her presence, stood up from his seat and faced her.

The first words he spoke to her were very peculiar: "You haven't eaten your dinner." These words were what Kai would usually say, and it surprised her when Haji made this statement.

"I'm not hungry anyway," Saya lied, even when she could feel hunger tugging at her stomach.

"I'm capable of cooking," Haji said. "However, they are only French dishes. I am incompetent when it comes to Asian concoctions." Again, this surprised Saya more than ever.

"It's okay, really," she insisted, giving a helpless smile. "You don't have to, Haji."

"Your discomfort is mine as well." His stoic persistence was quite amusing; he hardly insisted on a matter decided upon.

"Do you really want to ease my discomfort?" Saya said. "Then play on your cello once more."

"It will not fill your stomach."

"But at least it would fill my heart."

"Both must be satiated; it is unhealthy to leave the other dissatisfactory."

"Oh, all right," Saya said with a sigh. She smiled in amusement, and walked up beside him as he positioned himself to play. "Then after this, you'd make me a French dish?"

"Yes." Haji held the bow readily on the strings. He allowed a few minutes to ensue, before beginning his musical piece. He was briefly delayed by this question:

"Haji, do you know how to make _'Tarte aux Fruits'_?"

* * *

_Okay, a reader might probably (I'm emphasizing the probability here) think how much unrealistic Saya's mood changes. Or, the reader would think it's a bit too much how she could alter her attitude in front of others. I based this one from my experience. Well, my sister's actually. Believe me, her moods can change drastically. One moment she's laughing like a goof, the next moment, she'd be so sullen, you'd think she lost someone as dear as me. (That was a joke, alright? That was a joke…)_

_If ever any of these occurred to you, I've already explained them. If you have anything else to say, I'd gladly want to know them in the form of a review._


	31. Chapter 26: Stupor

_The fact that I was able to update before 2 weeks could come to pass is quite enough to lighten my mood. How many days has it been since my last update?_

_Well anyway, here's another chapter. I realized I never made a chapter focused entirely on Diva (I like her more than Saya, but ironically, I seem to portray Saya more—I mean, most of the time). There are her Chevaliers, too. But it's mostly about Diva._

_I do hope you'd enjoy this chapter 'cause it's about my favorite character! And please read slowly, because I wouldn't be making the next chapter in a long time. Two weeks is far too short, and I'm afraid it'll take longer to update. I hate it myself, but I still have to concentrate on my studies, and this story is kind of getting in the way…sorry. I don't want to sound so arrogant and confident or whatever, but if you do like my fic, savor each "ns"._

_(I know it's kind of too late to say it, but I'll say it anyway: __**DISCLAIMER: BLOOD PLUS AIN'T MINE**__)._

* * *

Chapter XXVI

Stupor

Her eyes fluttered open, and in the dimness, she could see a dark figure lying next to her. It was a familiar figure, the first thing, the first person she'd hold unto whenever she woke up every morning, or when she was feeling cold.

In fact, her feet were cold, like ice. Her body, frail and weak for some unusual reason, was curled up, and she looked so helpless, so pitiful. If she were more awake now, if she were more conscious of how pathetic she looked, searching for a something warm, she would curse her own weakness. She would see it as something detestable, loathsome, this weakness she never thought she had. But she was so sleepy, she had just awoken, so she had not taken any of these into account.

Now, with a dazed expression, with heavily-lidded eyes, she stared at this familiar figure, this back turned against her. She recognized it at once. Yes, she knew it, this person who was beside her. It really was her. A small, colorful emotion lit up in her, and she reached out. A little more…a little more and she would touch her, would feel the warmth in her fingers, would feel that slow, assuring breathing. She reached out and blinked.

The figure vanished.

_She's…gone. _She blinked, unable to believe what she saw. _She's gone. _And it was true. But she couldn't understand, for a minute or two, as she lay there on that white, king-sized mattress, she couldn't understand why that reassuring back was no longer there. That familiar figure which always promised warmth when she reached out to it was…gone. Simply gone.

_No… _Her hand was still stretched out. It was supposed to hold something. She was supposed to hold someone because she was cold. 'She' was supposed to be there, lying beside her. It was 'her' back that she was supposed to touch. But no, she was gone. The figure was no longer there. That dark form which she found sleeping beside her was already gone. She would no longer find her here whenever she woke up because she had vanished.

_No. _Her hand clenched into a fist, when she realized who she was supposed to be holding. Her desperate yearning for that warmth was quickly overcome by anger. _No. I don't need you_, she thought, almost harshly. _I no longer need you here; you don't belong here anymore. _

And with that, she forced herself to sleep, squeezing her eyes shut, even a small shining tear.

-ns-

The first rays of sunlight shone through the window, warming her serene face. A frown was the first reaction she gave, her eyes still closed. She refused to get up, because she never wanted to face another day. Facing another day would mean facing reality. Reality was as harsh as she was, the very opposite of every sweet dream she always wanted to have. Reality was even harsh enough to plague her unconscious mind with nightmares, with troubling images of her memories, of the past she never would have wanted to remember. But was there to do? Even she had to succumb to reality. She had no choice but to accept the only thing it could offer: pain.

It was only seven in the morning, and here she was, troubled. With grudging reluctance she opened her eyes and sat up. A little dazed, yes, but she did not fail to see the disaster she had caused in her room. This ruined her mood, seeing everything in topsy-turvy. It was her fault, she should have recalled that, but her irritation made her think it was someone else' fault. When it was someone else' fault, she had to blame someone. At least she had something to do right now.

She stood up from the bed, not bothering to arrange the white sheets. When she'd come back, it would be smooth and neat once more—but the rest of the room would still remain in a mess.

She left the room, bare feet padding softly on the wooden floor. From the top of the staircase, she could see a large portion of the first floor. And a little way further were the twin doors. That cursed entrance of polished wood was where 'she' ran through. She could picture the scene: a girl, sobbing, running out through that entrance, to the pouring rain outside…

She shook her head, and clenched her delicate little hands, cursing herself for having to think about her, first thing in the morning. Why, of all thoughts, she said in her mind, I had to think of you.

She descended the staircase, and reached the main floor. Looking around, she saw no one; the hallways were silent. It was as if she were alone, as if she were the only person in that exquisite mansion. This irritated her. Where were her Chevaliers? Why were they leaving her, making her feel so desolate and lonely?

"Amshel!" she called. Then after a while, "Solomon, Nathan, James!" She thought a little about it before calling, "Karl!"

Her voice echoed down the empty halls. No answer reached her, and her temper rose as a result of this. She was about to call once more, but a voice intervened smoothly, "You called, Diva?"

The girl turned around to see Solomon. As usual, he wore a charming smile, a smile which would make any girl swoon before him. But this gracious curve dancing on his lips played no effect on her.

"Where are they?" Diva questioned sharply. "And why didn't you answer me when I called?"  
"Forgive me," the blond Chevalier apologized. "We were having a conference, you see, and right now, nii-san is taking the lead with the rest of my brothers."

"Conference?" Now she was curious. "What conference?"

"About your concert, of course." He knew she'd be asking where, so he quickly added, "They are still deciding on which place you shall perform, but it seems to be that it would be in Hyde Park."

"In a park?" Diva said in obvious disinterest, frown worsening. "How boring."

He noticed she wasn't in a good mood at all, and this particular knowledge he had conveyed proved very much dismaying to her. "We're still deciding, Diva."

"Decide all you want," the girl said, having lost complete interest in the whole matter. "I don't care what you do." And with that, she walked away.

It was a curt exit, but he was used to that. He watched her, still retaining that smile. _You search for us, and now you say you don't care what we do. _

-ns-

She walked down the hallway to the left. She felt Solomon's presence fade away, and she knew he had returned to that conference. _A concert_, she thought. _I don't feel like singing to those humans_. Her gaze narrowed. _Not after what they've done… _

She must have been referring to only a certain group. In fact, she was only going through a list of faces of them. Only a few people. Just a few. They were enemies. _I hate them, _she hissed in her mind. _I hate them…those insolent meals…_ _All of them. They're all despicable. _A mere thought of those people, of 'them' was so annoying, she could have broken them like sticks if they stood before her. But here she was, as she walked the hallway, she was thinking of them. And this certainly was irksome, and such rotten thoughts of them were ruining her mood. _It's their fault_, she said. _It's all their fault I'm thinking of them…_

_But at the same time, _another thought entered her mind, _I do love them because they are my meals. _A smile quirked at one side of her lips. _I hate them because of their insolence. But I love them for their blood. _All right, she decided. I won't break them when I see them. I'll play with them, then I'll eat them. And afterwards, I'll break their bones. That's much better than having to tear them to pieces all at once because all their blood would run out and I wouldn't have enough for myself.

This little plan of hers eased her mood a bit. She liked it, and thought herself to be very clever for thinking such a brilliant idea. _So nothing is put to waste. I'm so resourceful: I could get myself a fun toy, then have a tasty meal._

-ns-

A little later, she had wandered into the wide kitchen. Here, there were several cupboards and shelves, and she looked through each one, tiptoeing to reach her hands into each one and search for something—food, of course. Human food. She wasn't hungry that time; even when she was, she'd never ever turn to human food, never have a taste, or a bite, or any bit of it. She loathed them as she loathed those who processed them and made them (There were times though when she and Amshel would attend a formal occasion and eat those human concoctions with a high-ranking official in one of those expensive fine-dining restaurants. She preferred to eat the handsome, finely-groomed waiter who presented the food, but had to control herself from grabbing him and biting down on his shoulder.)

For no apparent reason, she was searching for those things she loathed now. Since they hardly ate human food in the mansion (except for Solomon and Nathan who did sometimes like to cook with their outstanding skills), there wasn't much to be found. She only found bottles of olive oil, curry seasonings and other canned ingredients like mushrooms; she found no finished product—they were all raw ingredients. There was a box of cereal and oatmeal, too, and as she placed them on the counter (where she put everything else that she had found), she thought that it was probably Nathan who'd be the only Chevalier eating these. She found another thing: boxes containing packets of tea—all sorts of tea, but mostly English brands. None of what she found satisfied her, and rather annoyed to have found nothing interesting, she placed the boxes of tea on the counter as well. As she did, her eyes caught something; at the far corner she saw a large, grey appliance:

A refrigerator.

Now this piqued her interest a bit. She never knew they had a refrigerator, never cared to explore the whole mansion just to find one. Within moments, she was standing before it. She bent down slightly and pulled open the twin doors. The moment she did, chilly air blew against her face, and the light from inside revealed rather surprising things: treats. They were all treats. She saw pastries and cakes, all placed in neat, little platters. Then there were even some bars of chocolate. At one side were three bottles of milk.

Now this did strike her as strange. It's understandable that there were raw ingredients kept in the cupboards and shelves. But a refrigerator crammed with treats? That was another matter. Who would be eating treats and cakes? She thought for a moment, straightening up and not caring that the fridge was still open. James and Karl were out of the options. She couldn't imagine grim and austere Amshel munching on a cupcake either (she giggled when she did have an image). Solomon and Nathan were possible choices, but somehow, it just didn't fit in.

She went through this with surprising thoughtfulness (and the fridge was still open). Karl? James? Amshel? Solomon? Nathan? It was impossible. But she had forgotten someone else, and now she remembered. _Saya. _That was it. It was Saya. Who else could it be? Who else would be leaving a half-eaten cake on the floor, on the table and sofa? Who else would spill milk on the nicely-polished floor and leave a rag to wipe it up? Who else would litter the room with wrappers of chocolate bars and candies? She even once caught her twin munching quietly on a chocolate cake in one corner where no one could see her, and the twin merely said she 'found' it when asked suspiciously.

So that was it. It was Saya. No wonder, she thought, no wonder she'd sneak out of bed in the middle of the night and come back with dark stains around her mouth, smelling of sweets and chocolate. During those times, she already suspected her twin to be eating human food, but never said a word about it, partly out of amusement and partly out of laziness. She never investigated her, or followed her when went out of the room.

But now it was all clear to her. So Saya just didn't 'find' these human treats; she actually kept them. In here. In this refrigerator whose doors were still open. Now she knew, and now she felt...sad.

All this time, Saya had been keeping a secret from her. First it was the hidden practice with the saber. She only found out when Amshel told her all about it. And now this. This may even have been way _ahead_ of the sword practice. But she never knew, never discovered it. And now she had—all on her own.

Saya was there when she found out. Saya was engaged in it, in that swordplay with Solomon which was supposed to be a secret kept away from her. She 'punished' her for keeping such a secret, and now Saya had to be punished again for keeping this other secret. It was a light matter, but she already warned her twin not to keep anything hidden, even if it were a trivial thing. But Saya wasn't here anymore. She was somewhere, perhaps a place far away.

So she could not chide her for hiding human food in the refrigerator she never knew about. She could not punish her for keeping a secret. In those moments, she was almost close to wishing 'she' were standing right before her so that she may question her. And then Saya would give a pathetic smile, scratch her head and say some unreasonable excuse. If that didn't work, then she'd shrug nervously and give a ridiculous laugh.

That was what she thought Saya would do. And somehow, she did miss seeing her give that cheerful simper of hers…

-ns-

A silence hung between them as they waited for Nathan, who said he'd come back with some tea. It was an half an hour after the conference that they decided to come out for some fresh air. Even Karl said he'd join them. Meanwhile, James left with Amshel to go and look up some matters in the Science Facility in the outskirts of the city.

They had discussed the matter for several hours, but within a minute or two after it was quickly forgotten. To him, the conference meant nothing, and he hardly paid any attention at all, nor did he give much suggestions. For the whole time, he was thinking of 'her'. To him, she was of utmost importance. Nothing else was worth occupying his mind but her.

And it seemed likewise for the other, Solomon. The blond Chevalier was staring into space. Although he participated actively in the meeting, he had never seemed to be interested anymore than Diva said she was. It was only he could start a conversation with Karl, no matter what the situation his brother was in. But he didn't seem like he wanted to talk either. He didn't feel like discussing the things mentioned in the conference (not that Karl would be interested anyway), and he had nothing special to say, so he turned out to be quiet as Karl was. They both felt much more comfortable that way.

Nathan was taking longer than usual. A while later, he came into view, holding a tray containing a tea set. As soon as he was with them, he placed the tray on the table before them and looked down at Solomon. "If you wanted to look for something, at least do it in an orderly way."

"Hmm?" Solomon looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Nathan said, rather indignantly. He tapped a foot. "You took everything in the cupboards and left them all in the counter. You even left the refrigerator open."

"I didn't," Solomon answered calmly. He looked rather confused.

"Well, who else would?"

"I don't know." Solomon didn't feel like answering, any more than being scolded. He wasn't enough in the mood to even ponder over the happening. He looked down at the grass.

"Well, whoever did it sure didn't even have half a mind to return the ingredients back to the cupboards or close the refrigerator." Clearly dismayed, he poured the tea out into the cups. Solomon ignored this sarcastic statement and continually stared at the ground, seeming as if Nathan weren't before him.

"Tea in the middle of the day?" Karl said, not seeming to be in the mood either. He didn't even bother to intervene in the conversation just moments before.

"Why? Do you have any issues with tea?" Nathan asked. He wasn't in the mood as well, considering that he had to arrange things up in the kitchen and his patience had worn away.

"No." The frown clearly said that he did. He didn't say anything, so it didn't matter.

Nathan gave the cups to each of them, and took one for himself. Then he took a seat among them, added some milk and sugar to his cup and sipped a bit from the hot drink.

They remained silent for a while. Solomon hardly noticed he was given a cup of tea. He did after a moment, added some milk and a cube of sugar before stirring it with a teaspoon; then he took a small drink, holding the saucer in one hand. Meanwhile, Karl stared soberly at his own cup, then sipped from it anyway. It tasted the way he didn't expect it to taste, and his lips twisted.

"It's best you add something," Nathan advised mildly as he closed his eyes to take another sip from his own cup. Karl frowned; he hated to be instructed. But seeing that everyone was doing it, he followed their example.

"Did you like the decision?" Nathan asked, deciding it was best to break the silence.

"Honestly, I don't know," Solomon admitted.

"No," Karl answered.

"And why's that?" Nathan asked the young Chevalier.

"Because it's the worst decision 'he' could ever make," Karl growled. He didn't want to mention the name of their oldest brother. It tasted like bile in his mouth. It sounded like a curse, too.

"Hmm…" Nathan thought for a moment. He took a sip of tea, then gazed back at the two Chevaliers. Solomon's mood lightened slightly; it was obvious in his answer. Karl, on the other hand, seemed like he was in the worst mood. He allowed a gap to come between them, thinking it would cool Karl's head off, and the issue would settle down. Thankfully, it did, and when he looked back at Karl, he was delving in his own thoughts; looking at Solomon, he saw that he was also deep in thought.

A small breeze passed through the area, gently rustling the leaves and creating soft, natural music. The Chevalier with the purple, chest-revealing suit smiled, and closed his eyes.

The two Chevaliers were still deep in thought, so deep it would have been hard to break through whatever they were thinking. But somehow, there was something different in the wind which was enough to shatter their concentration. Looking up, they saw Nathan closing his eyes, a contented smile across his lips. The Chevalier was holding up a hand in the air, making rhythmic movements with it and making it seem as if there was music being played. But no music was present.

"Is there something in the wind?" Solomon inquired.

"Listen," was all that Nathan answered, still closing his eyes.

They did, and for a few moments, but could not hear anything else other than sound of stirring air. Then there was another thing, another thing which differed itself from the breeze. It must have been imagination playing tricks on them. But further listening proved that it wasn't. It was…a song.

It was so soft at first, and gradually, it grew louder, now overcoming the wind. A wave of nostalgia brushed over them, and the other two Chevaliers tensed under its mysterious touch. Then they gave way, submitting to this familiar song and the voice which sang it. Who else can it be other than their Queen?

The song went on for only a few minutes, then it slowly died away into the wind. The Chevaliers still seemed to be trapped in the song's effects. Nathan was the first to notice that the singing was over, followed by Karl, then Solomon.

"That was Diva out there…" Solomon stated absentmindedly, as if he were waking from a dream.

"Now," Nathan said in a mild tone. A smile stretched furtively across his lips. "Doesn't the song make you want to forget Saya?"

At this, both Solomon and Karl froze.

-ns-

Her lips slowly closed, and she ended the song. What she sang said pretty much everything about she felt. _Always sadness_, she thought. _I'm always sad and it's so unfair I always have to be. _Her voice, always having to express that emotion, sounded duller than usual, and she frowned at the realization.

She stood at the side of the mansion, at the far end, opposite the side Nathan, Karl and Solomon were. She always sang because she loved to listen to the beauty of her voice. She always had that sense of accomplishment whenever she finished her song. But now it was so different.

Instead of feeling that pride, she was crestfallen. She sang to ease the growing pain in her chest, but it seemed to worsen. And something was lacking. Shouldn't there be someone to praise her? Shouldn't there?

But nothing praised her. No one was there to say how beautiful her voice was. Just the birds.

As soon as she had stopped singing, the birds returned to chirping. But she wasn't even sure if they were praising her. _Maybe they're mocking me_, she thought. Birdsong followed at that exact moment. _They're making fun of my voice by copying me_. Fully convinced, and enraged by this rash conclusion, she picked a stone up and threw it straight into the tree. The whole tree shook from the force of her hit, shaking out leaves and startling the small, feathered animals which clearly knew nothing and understood nothing of what the girl below felt. At once, a small flock of birds flew away from the boughs, and Diva glared at them as they soared higher and higher into the sky. She squinted to try to see them, but they disappeared into the azure sky.

_It's so unfair_, she thought, frowning. _You could flee from everything when you want to. You wouldn't have to worry about anything at all. It's so… _her eyes narrowed _…unfair._

-ns-

Everything was silent in the vehicle. Amshel, who sat on the passenger seat beside James, folded his arms to his chest and closed his eyes. James, who happened to be the driver, concentrated on the road. This sort of quiet proved unusual to most, but both Chevaliers had grown used to it. One of them would only speak when he deemed it necessary; any other idle talk was a waste of time and effort, trivial nonsense (though not seemingly) in other words. When they did speak, it only concerned Diva and Cinq Fléches, nothing else.

As of the moment, there was nothing to say, but the driver saw it to be of importance and said, "Hyde Park; is that your final decision?"

The old Chevalier opened his eyes, and gave him a sideways glance. "You have doubts?"

"No," James replied. "But others do."

"It doesn't matter what they think," Amshel said, staring at the road.

"Perhaps you should have told them the reason for such an option," James stated after a moment.

"Reasoning would fall into deaf ears," Amshel replied. "They're more inclined to listen to a fool." His own answer amused him; and a disdainful smile quirked at one corner of his mouth by just the slightest.

Another thought bothered him. He did have doubts, at least one or two of them, and he pressed on, "Then you don't think it's too much of a risk, exposing Diva like that?"

"What could be so dangerous from a struggling group of humans?" Amshel returned, giving the look which made it seem like the question was utterly ridiculous. His calm and resolute answer placed an ironic effect on James and instead of feeling assured, he grew more anxious. But to express this anxiety was not a wise thing to do, no, not to Amshel.

"Saya is there." James glanced back at him and missed the expression Amshel had just given at his previous query. By the time he looked at the old Chevalier, he was wearing a grim face once more.

"She's the sole reason why I made that decision."

"And you make it seem like Diva's the bait," the dark-skinned Chevalier pointed out rather dryly.

"And it is for her good as well," Amshel retorted. In a normal tone, it sounded derisive. But the Chevalier had said it so grimly that his companion took no notice of the contempt in the words he spoke.

Now there was nothing else he could think of. His personal questions were answered, but his mind was not at ease. He did want to argue why Diva had to perform in a lowly bandstand in a park teeming with so much people—possibly agents of the Red Shield—where even Saya and her Chevalier could be lurking. It had only been three days when Saya left the mansion, and he already saw her as an enemy. She was dangerous, and almost as violent as Diva, a threat to him and his brothers. To expose his beloved Queen to such danger was…irrational. Insane.

However, he also knew that Amshel's decision was final. Diva would have to perform in Hyde Park, and there's nothing he could do to alter that (Diva didn't even seem to care at the least when told anyway). To insist on the matter would arouse suspicion and lead to unnecessary conflicts, things which would always get in the way with the whole company's plans. And he didn't want that, so he kept silent. _Best to keep quiet when things have already been decided_.

-ns-

Solomon and Karl stood at a respectful distance from the couch where Diva lay idly. Both Chevaliers placed a hand on either sides of the teenage girl, their grip gentle but firm. The girl wasn't struggling at all, still too dazed to show further reaction to the situation she was in.

"And what's this you've brought me?" Diva inquired, not too interested. "Is it another toy?"

"No, Diva," Solomon answered. "It's…a meal. For you."

"A meal?" Diva's eyes fluttered open. She showed little reaction to what she saw. "I don't want to eat," she said, her voice turning ennui. "I want to play."

"But you have to eat, Diva," Solomon said. "Maybe afterwards, you can do whatever you wished."

"Let me think…" Diva cocked her head to the side, looking up innocently like a child. She placed a delicate finger upon her crimson lips and thought for a few moments. Then she smiled cheerily and said, "No. I don't feel like I want to eat anything at all."

"But Diva," Solomon said, his voice now evident with persistence. "You can't go on with an empty stomach."

"I won't die from starvation," was Diva's dry statement. "Besides," she went on, her voice turning child-like once more, "when I do feel like eating, I can eat any of you, right?"

"Diva…"

"You can't force me to eat," Diva said dulcetly . "Never, never, never…" she sang. She stopped, then looked at the girl, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Bring her here."

It was an unexpected command, and a sudden change of events. Solomon sighed, and Karl let him off alone to bring the girl towards Diva. The blond Chevalier had the girl advance to Diva, pushing lightly on her back. _So she's going to eat her after all_.

The girl, thinking this was all mere jest, walked to the awaiting Queen. Little did she know what fate would befall her, but this never passed through her mind as Diva, in her human eyes, from her human standpoint, seemed no more normal than she was. But as soon as she was nearing her, her scalp prickled. She was staring at the floor almost the whole time, but when she did raise her eyes, it met directly with the twin's.

The twin's eyes were sharp and piercing, never failing to contain that disdain, that scorn which mocked almost everyone. And they were keenly observant, too, but to such an intense degree that she felt comfortable, almost afraid. But wasn't it fear which was already unsettling her? Wasn't it trepidation which made her stop dead on her tracks and stare at that girl who was watching her through those sapphire orbs? And she was eyeing her in that strangely frightening manner, eyes glinting with an unreadable expression, almost like the way a predator would eye its prey…

Diva watched her, obviously amused to see that once calm, and serene face, now ridden with growing fear. It really was enjoyable to have to shape that young, pretty face into a mask of terror. She always succeeded in having to scare her meals and it delighted her, but at the same time it was…boring. And now she felt like she was fed up with this sort of game since she remembered that every one of her meals have always reacted this way.

"I don't want her," she said, once-gleeful eyes now dulling with sudden disinterest. Then, to prove this, she laid her head back into the cushions of the sofa and shut her eyes.

"Diva?" Solomon thought he heard wrong. "Pardon?"

"Let her run off now so she could do her own business," Diva said, eyes still closed. "I've got mine to do, and that's lying here so I could take my nap."

"But you haven't eaten yet—"

"The only thing I'd eat right now if you won't take her away is you, Solomon," Diva replied. Her tone was mild and easygoing, but what she had said was a clear threat. "Run along now, girl," she told the girl who stood before her, still frozen with fear, and now flabbergasted and confused. She waved an idle hand dismissively. "Go and do whatever you want, because I'm not hungry. Solomon, do take her away right this moment, before I decide to skin both of you alive."

And of course, since the threat was beginning to sound much realer, and the blue-eyed Queen could lose her patience at any unpredictable moment, Solomon obeyed. He inclined his head with a sober "As you wish", and quickly lead the girl away.

Karl had seen all this in silence, not daring to intervene. He decided to follow Solomon and help return the girl from where they took her, thinking it was safer to leave his Queen alone. As he left, he heard Diva say something barely audible, and froze for a few moments. It almost sounded like "_Onee-chan_", but he thought it must have been his imagination playing tricks on him. So he dismissed the matter, and left.

-ns-

In her sleep, she dreamed of nothing at all. It was all pure blackness, oblivion. Nothingness. In the darkness, she heard a voice resound, but it was so distant, so far away. Images and scenes, all blurry, flashed as the voice continually called her name, saying other things she could hardly understand at all.

"_Diva…! Diva, wake up!"_

_Huh…? What…what's happening?_

"_Diva…have to…up."_

A light filled her eyes, and for a moment, she couldn't understand that she was awake.

"Diva," a voice said, now more familiar to her ears. It sounded clear as well, not just her name, but the other words which followed it. "You have to wake up now, dear. It's getting dark already."

Now she realized she was no longer awake, and she rubbed her eyes to drive the blur in her vision. She looked up at the Chevalier with the blond hair, and the purple suit. "Nathan?"

"Yes, it's me, love," Nathan said with a warm smile. "You seemed like you were no longer going to awaken until tomorrow. Forgive me for waking you, Diva, but you haven't had your bath yet, have you?"

It took her a moment to think through it. Nathan was right, she _didn't _have her bath yet, all throughout the day. "No," she answered him.

"Well, I think it's best you have one now."

"But I don't smell bad," she reasoned, a slight whining in her tone. "I don't smell the way humans do."

This statement made Nathan's light smile stretch in amusement. "But you wouldn't want to copy them, either," he pointed out, "since they don't even bother to take a bath as well."

This made Diva frown, but the Chevalier's humor wasn't much of a thing she'd get angry with. And she was dazed enough to not take the joke too seriously. "Alright," she said, not even refusing to listen to his 'suggestion'. If there was anyone she'd still listen to in that mansion, it was good-natured, caring Nathan. And with that, she got up rather sluggishly, and headed to her room.

"Do you require assistance?" Nathan asked.

"No," the girl answered in a dull voice. "I'll be fine alone." She continually dragged her feet, too lazy to have to use Chiropteran speed to reach her destination. Her Chevalier watched her leave with a smile.

"Goodness," he sighed. "To think that you'd be so affected so as not to bathe."

-ns-

She stood before the door to her room, stood there and stared at the wooden entrance. She didn't want to enter because she'd be facing the memory again. Just seeing those broken shards of glass on the floor, those pillows torn to shreds, those dismembered stuffed toys…

She had no choice; she unbolted the doorknob and stepped inside. It was quiet. The last dying light of the sun revealed the disaster she had caused in her own room. As she had guessed, the mattress was arranged once more, sheets smoothened neatly. But the rest in the room were left untouched. Not even single shard from the broken mirror was removed; they still littered the floor at one corner.

At once, not wanting to see this, she headed straight for the bathroom where she quickly undressed. For the first time, this bathroom which always seemed so small despite being of considerable size felt…spacious. Empty.

Of course, she snapped at herself. That's because you're alone.

Now she wanted to get this over with. She wanted to leave this tiled room as soon as possible. She went to the tub and turned the faucets. Whilst the water filled the tub, she showered in one place and shampooed her hair.

"_Diva, you have such wonderful hair. You know, that's one reason why it's quite fun to shampoo you because I get to touch it."_

She quickly rinsed herself, trying to drive that irksome voice away. Why, she asked herself. Why here while I have my bath? Now even her hair and that stupid bottle of shampoo reminded her of that girl she earnestly wanted to forget.

The tub was soon filled with warm water and she stepped into it and settled in. For the whole day, despite not having to do much, she felt weary. Even after her nap, she still had that lingering weariness. But somehow, this warm water had seeped into her, and the plaguing exhaustion wore away. It was…comforting, and she relaxed, closing her eyes.

Minutes stretched on in complete silence. It felt so awkward that she could hear nothing else except the sound of her movements in the water. It wasn't this quiet. It never was this quiet before. Why did it feel like something was missing in this still air?

Somehow, she missed those noises. Those shouts, those playful cries and the sound of splashing water…she missed them. In fact, she missed them so much that she could hear them resounding in her head. Without even realizing it herself, she was replaying those memories. Once more, she was delving in thoughts she had tried to avoid, she had wanted to hate.

But it was so different. It felt so awkward and lonely just sitting there in that tub, letting the warmth seep into her exhausted body, allowing the thoughts to freely run through her troubled mind as a means of comfort.

And she never realized that. Not even when she dried herself with a towel, not even when she went out of the bathroom and dressed into a nightgown. Not even when she accidentally stepped on that broken piece of glass and cut her feet as she headed for the solitary mattress.

-ns-

"You still haven't eaten anything, Diva," Amshel stated. The dryness of his voice irritated her all the more. He had entered the room to see her as soon as he returned from his duties.

"So?" Diva was lying on the mattress, busily playing with a teddy bear Solomon had given her as a present just the day before.

"I should think it is best I fetch a meal for you."

"And I think you should just shut up and leave me alone," Diva returned, lifting the bear and deciding which appendage she should dismember first.

"Your health is my primary concern," Amshel went on. "Please allow me to fetch me a meal for you."

"No."

"Your refusal to eat shall affect your performance in the stage."

"You can't order me around, Amshel," Diva said, her tone lowering dangerously. She turned her face to the side and cast him a sharp look. The sour expression on the old Chevalier's face only worsened, and she quickly drew satisfaction from this. "I decide not to eat," she told him, smiling, "and there's nothing you could do to change it. Now go away because I don't want to see you." And having said this, she returned her attention to the stuffed toy, completely ignoring the Chevalier's presence.

"Very well." And still, with unfaltering obedience and respect, he stepped back and left the room.

…

-ns-

…

It was late, probably around 11 or 12 PM. He stared at the fire that he had made. With almost emotionless eyes which reflected the light from the consuming flames, he thought of things. Like how useless it seemed to him, making this fire when it was only he who could benefit from it right now. Everyone else was busy, or at least it seemed that way because he was just sitting there in that couch.

_Of what use is that hearth, _he thought solemnly, _when the flames it holds cannot warm the person it should warm? _Not I. Never I. I merely make the flames; I do not steal the warmth meant for other people. But Diva could not appreciate it; she's acting so moodily right now. She won't appreciate anything anymore; even in the best of spirits, she cannot appreciate it. But the other…

'She' could. She'd smile and say how nice it is, how warm it is. And somehow, I would feel warm inside, too. Then it would be enough, just seeing that smile and hearing her thank me. Even without the fire, I'd feel warm already. Just seeing her. Just hearing the words she spoke. He stared into the fiery depths of the fire, and his fist clenched.

_It's enough._

-ns-

Three days.

For three days, he had not seen 'her'. For three days, he had not felt his arm twitch. For three days, he felt different, so _normal_, like a human. For three days, he had been troubled…

Three days was too long.

To not see 'her', to not sense 'her' when he was already here, when he was so close to 'her'… It was annoying. He could see Diva, but she seeing her wasn't enough; even though for these past few days, she was giving him tasks, making him do this and that, finally taking notice him so that he may do whatever she bid him to do. Serving her was satisfaction. Being called by her, hearing her voice say his name, and being ordered was his pleasure. As a Chevalier, he was close to satisfaction.

But there was that something. Something was lacking. There was that hole he had to fill, his need. To see one, meant to see the other. When he saw Diva, he had to see her twin. But 'she' was nowhere to be seen. He could no longer feel her as well, not even at the slightest. Everywhere he went, he searched for that familiar presence, but it was gone.

Standing on the roof of the mansion, he could see the city lights shimmering in the darkness. _Saya…_

-ns-

He could not understand. The words were there in those white pages right there before his eyes. He was reading them, even rereading them, and rereading them all over again. But no matter how much he read and reread, he couldn't understand the plot. The words hardly made any sense. If he did understand, it was only a small part of the story. This didn't always happen; he could understand as soon as he read the sentence. He had even read so many books now, one novel per day. But this book he had with him took a long time to understand. It had been three days, and that was too long. Worse, he was only half-way through it.

Why?

Why so long?

Could it be…? Could it be because she's gone? 'Her' absence is quite hard to adjust to, he acknowledged that. But how could it possibly influence him? Diva was the only Queen he had cared for in the past, and when 'she' came, he had to take 'her' in, treat 'her' the way he did to Diva. But now 'she' was gone, and her abrupt disappearance now felt so awkward, like something was lacking.

With a small frown, he tried read the short sentence he had reread five times, hoping he'd understand its words: 'And he came running in to eat his lunch.'

-ns-

'She' was gone.

Finally, she was gone, and once more, he could call her an enemy. Now he had every right to harm her because she was no longer under Diva's care. Now, he wouldn't have to feel so tense. Now, he wouldn't have to frown so deeply when he laid his eyes on her. To see her, especially whenever she was enjoying her time with his mama, was annoying. To see her, stealing his mama's time, getting her full attention, proved very irritating. And he would always feel a tinge of envy as he eyed them playing, talking, spending their time together while he merely stood at a respectful distance.

But not anymore, because she was gone.

He smiled. For the first time, he smiled with satisfaction. As he looked through the tall window watching the city, in the dim light, he could a reflection of himself, and that contemptuous grin of his.

Then he remembered those times when 'she' would make mama laugh, make her smile and giggle in a way mama never giggled or smiled or laughed before. Then he had remembered how playful 'she' was, how much 'she' resembled mama when she smiled, when she was having her fun. And he felt, just that one time, he felt that Saya was another part of him. During that one time, he had accepted her as he had always accepted Diva.

Perhaps, her absence wasn't too good, after all.

-ns-

With 'her' out of the way, there's nothing more we could worry about. She's gone, and there's no one else who could stand in the way.

That was what the grim Chevalier thought as he drank some red wine, his own making.

With her gone, I could conduct my experiments. No one could get in my way to seeking the truth about Diva. Diva would be mine. All mine. She'll be mine alone, and no one could stop me from searching the truth.

When 'she' was here, she always had Diva's attention centered on her alone. When she was there, Diva would hardly take notice him. She would only when she remembered she had a Chevalier who could do anything she desired. But with 'her' gone, things would go back to how they were in the past.

_But then again…_ he thought as he took another sip from his glass. _Saya is a Queen. Saya is like Diva. She can be like Diva. _

He placed the glass on the table beside him and stared into space.

_Saya…can be mine, too._

…

-ns-

…

She awoke with a start and stared into the darkness. The dreams were still floating at the back of her head, seeming so real, and yet so unreal at the same time. It was hard to tell reality and dreams apart. It was so hard, and it was so dreamlike and lifelike that she felt a small emotion slip into her heart. Fear, she realized, sitting up. Fear. Fear of what?

She searched for a pillow, but there was nothing to grasp, nothing soft. Everything was destroyed—she destroyed them—and now she had nothing to hold in her pale arms; even the teddy bear Solomon gave her was lying at the far corner where she had flung it. She had nothing to keep that small fear away, nothing soft and warm to hold to now that she felt that tinge of solitude. Where is 'she'? she thought. Where is 'she'? I need 'her'! She was more frantic than angered now; she needed 'her'. She looked around into the darkness, searching for 'her'. Where are you? she wondered. Where are you… "Onee—"

She stopped dead halfway through that name, realizing that 'she' was no longer here. Oh, that's right. She remembered now: she remembered that 'she' was gone, and she was alone. She had no one to turn to, no one at all. No one to snuggle into when she felt alone. No one to hug when she felt alone.

Alone.

The word was an accursed thing, a part of reality she would never learn to acknowledge. She would never ever say she was alone; never think herself that she was alone. It was a pitiful thing to be alone, and she was no object of sympathy. She always had Amshel, and Solomon and her other Chevaliers. They were all faithful to her; they would all do as she say, no matter what it was.

So that was it, then. She wasn't alone. Just…separated from someone. 'She' wasn't important anyway, she thought with a smirk, lying down once more on that mattress bare of any pillows or stuffed toys. I have other things to embrace. I have other better things to hug like… Like… she thought, trying to think up some nice thing better than 'her'.

…Like myself, she managed to tell herself after thinking though her drowsiness. I have myself, she repeated with more confidence. I have myself, she thought, pulling her legs close to her body and curling into a ball. I have myself and I'm much softer and warmer than 'she' could ever be. I don't need 'her'; I could be warm without 'her'.

And with that, she closed her eyes once more and settled in for sleep, burying her face into the soft, white sheets, inhaling her twin's fading scent…

* * *

_I think I'm less critical about this chapter because it's all about Diva. But I'm still not that confident to say this chapter is great. And is the sadness too much? Most of the parts of this chapter were written when it was raining non-stop for days. __The gloomy weather, the grumpy people with me and the songs I listened to influenced my writing, and this is how it turned out to be._

_For now, I won't say this chapter sucks. I'd rather go with "dull" and "vague"._

_And__ I couldn't think of what Amshel should think in the last part (the second-to-the last 'ns'). His is perhaps the most…unrealistic. I kind of hate it myself, but it's such a hassle to think of anything else. I don't want it to ruin the whole story...hopefully it hasn't._

_There are perhaps a handful of mistakes like grammar, and spelling and whatnot…and 'other' things which are really annoying. I read and reread, and so far I couldn't see any errors. I don't feel like improving anything (even Amshel's) because it's so..._

…_oh, I don't know. Boring, I guess. See? 'Even too lazy to think up some appropriate term._

_With my last ounce of strength and willpower, before Laziness could take over me, I ask for your reviews…_

'_yun lang po. Sana'y magawa niyo rin._

_Salamat. _


	32. Chapter 27: In the Headquarters Part I

_Yay. A new chapter. Finally. You must have thought I was dead. Unfortunately, I'm still quite not dead. I'm still on the process of being dead, so…yeah. It'll take a while. And whilst that is happening, I will make the most of the remaining moments of my existence and continue my story, and finish it, as I have promised._

_You know what, I am feeling quite happy, so yay for me! And yay for you too 'cause you get to read a long-awaited (?) chapter and witness…_

…_how it sucks! *applause* But I think my chapter sucks in a more positive way, if you get me. So…_

_Happy reading! (Oh, and by the way, forgive me if there are errors. Human flaws.)_

* * *

Chapter XXVII

In The Headquarters

-Part I-

Several days after her arrival, her mood had suddenly altered. Now instead of locking herself in the room for half the day, she spent the hours wandering around. Perhaps she had wandered around too much. She ventured from one room to another, showing no concern over whose room it may belong to. She was surprisingly curious, almost like a child. And no one could berate her for whatever she did, even when it meant Okamura's cameras getting messed up. (The poor photographer could only lament over his loss, while Mao worsened his mood by laughing at him.)

"Saya don't touch that," Kai would tell her and Saya would most certainly do it. "Saya don't go there!" And she would. "Saya, you can't do that." But whatever he'd say, she would not listen and preferred to go against it.

She was surprisingly stubborn—in a childish matter, which was also queer—and she liked to do things her way.

When Kai told her once not to touch an object she was beginning to take an interest in, she disobeyed him and touched it anyway—and also ended up breaking it. Kai tried to be strict for once and scolded her, but he wasn't able to continue when she gave a rather unexpected reaction:

"You're no fun at all," she told him, pulling her lips into a childish pout. Then she folded her arms and stomped away. Kai was so surprised that he forgot the next phrase of which he was about to say to call her back to him. And in the end, he was only able to give partial scolding which his sibling had completely ignored.

-ns-

He had been staring at the moon for what may have been half an hour. But to him, it seemed like a mere few minutes. And he thought how time could be so fast, always running, never slowing down to a pace normal enough for them to catch up.

_We're losing time, _he thought. _We've lost so much and we're still losing more. There are only four of us left and—_

"Moses?"

The rest of his thoughts immediately vanished when the familiar peppy voice intervened. Moses spun around to see a small hooded form advance toward him. "Lulu?"

Lulu pushed her hood back. "It's me alright," she said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you," the young Schiff replied. "Gudrif and Karman told me to search for you and I did. It's been an hour since I started. Why are you here anyway?"

"I didn't mean to make it seem like I was avoiding you," Moses said. He had not answered the question at all, but Lulu had not noticed it.

Moses looked up at the moon again. "I was just thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" the curious girl inquired.

"It's best that you don't learn of them," Moses said, giving a wry smile.

"So…can we go back now?"

"Alright."

Lulu nodded and blurred out of sight. Moses followed suit and both were soon gone.

-ns-

An hour right after he received his injury, he was given an operation. Fortunately, despite the blood loss, new transfusions were given to replace the drastic amount that he had lost during the mission. Three whole days right after his operation, he was unconscious. Many agents had come to his room to pay him a visit, only to see a weak, injured man still lying helplessly in his white mattress. The physician who was looking after him assured the anxious guests that the Director was simply asleep, still too exhausted to keep his body up and about. He would soon awaken when he has had an appropriate amount of rest.

And true enough, the young man had soon awakened and was surprised to see himself bare-chested, upper body swathed in bandages. He quickly tried to get up the moment he awoke, but the simple movement sent pain shrieking across his chest and he had to lie back.

David, Julia, Lewis and Okamura dropped by often, and Julia assisted in the medication at times. But along with their constant visits were reports on the mission, how—overall—it had been a major loss and disappointment, how many men had lost their lives in the process, and how they had failed after their deliberate attempts to retrieve Saya.

In bed, the Director was busy, even when David and the physician insisted that he should take his rest and that such matters could be attended to in the following days when he could be strong enough to stay in his office. But Joel VI had said that he was not to abandon his duties—injured or not—and that he was responsible for the deaths of faithful comrades and allies who had died fighting.

So for two days, he had been busy. Beside his bed was a table topped with piles of paper. No one dared to interfere with him, no, not even David, especially when they saw his face hardened into intense concentration, his eyes glued to the paper and his fingers wrapped firmly around a fountain pen which did not cease from writing.

And it was Tuesday night when they first told him, as he wrote a personal letter addressed to a family of a particular deceased agent, the news of which he had never expected. When David told him that Saya had returned, he had frozen momentarily, put down his pen, and looked at the grim agent straight in the eye before inquiring with vague indifference, "Saya? You must be joking."

"No, Director. I never make such jokes, especially in such matters," David had replied, and that simple answer and look in his eyes had supported the plain truth, instilling a quick line of questions from the former which David had answered all at once.

Now the young man was more determined than ever to get well and had become more restless than before. He had inquired about Saya every time David or Julia or Lewis entered his room; he was so taken in by the news that he inquired the people who came in and out to serve him his food. Impressively, he had recovered earlier than everyone had expected, and the day after, he was strong enough to get up and stand up on his own without assistance or causing any pain to himself. As soon as he was well, he attended the funeral of those agents who had died; during that time, everyone was grim, and the air was heavy, sad and cold.

But it had all come to pass, and now he was looking forward to this day. This day was the day that he would see Saya in person. He was tired of having to hear about Saya and not to see them himself, not to know. He wanted to see these changes, see them and witness them with his very own eyes.

It was 6 AM when he looked at his wristwatch. They could be arriving with the girl at seven for breakfast, and here he was, already dressed in his neat, well-pressed suit and nicely-shined shoes.

Joel stood by the desk in his office, waiting patiently for the time to pass. When he thought that he had waited long enough, he pulled the cuff of his sleeve and peered at the time. Only five minutes had passed. He sighed and walked to the window. Through the glass, he watched the brightening sky, and allowed small thoughts to enter his head. When he had realized that he was daydreaming, he shook his head as if to shake the thoughts away, and decided to read something instead to pass the time. Some of the books in his shelf were quite intriguing, but they could never compare to the diary which was passed down from the previous generations. He took that out, seated himself in his cushioned chair, and opened the book.

The contents had dated back to the early 1800s, during Joel Goldschmidt I's time. The ink was faded by time, and the edges of the pages were worn out from having to be held and flipped all the time in the past. He read only a selected few writings, ones which he was fond of reading and always made him wonder, even when he had come to know a great many things on Chiroptera, on Saya and her twin, Diva. There was always that feeling of sentimentality, that mysteriousness and those qualms tugging at his stomach, as he flipped the pages with careful motion, feelings and emotions and things, all coming together to make him, all in all, feel different, a part of reality, of past. What he was then turning to were the writings primarily focused on Diva.

"…_The experiment refused to eat the steak its twin was very fond of… Once attacked Amshel as he tried to feed her…"_

Joel's eyes narrowed to the last phrase: _"…was drawn to human blood." _Now none of these things were new to him, and if he were to recall on how many times he had come across the particular page containing that particular phrase, he would guess twenty times or so. He skipped the other pages, eyes skimming over the written text.

"_There was an alarming increase of strength… Dealings with her are more difficult as she has become more aggressive…is capable of short bursts of speed…" _And at the very end of the age, it read:

"…_a potential threat to human life."_

_Threat…_ he thought and rubbed his chin. _She is indeed a threat. _Something else entered his mead, something which he had never expected thinking.

_And so is Saya._

The Director was surprised at his own idea…or was it a fact? His eyebrows drew together in concentration as he thought more about it. _Saya was_, he acknowledged, _been with Diva for so many months and no doubt some bond might have been formed. _Had there been any conflict or disagreement between them, the Chevaliers, or perhaps Diva herself, would have…killed her. But that didn't happen.

He stared into space as he was drawn to his own thoughts. He remembered the photos he had received, seeing them as twins. Stolen pictures of them from the satellite. Images of two dark-haired girls, one short-haired, the other contrastingly long. And they were holding hands…

Or perhaps they brainwashed her, or manipulated her, he thought. That wasn't impossible. With modern technology, with so many drugs and similar items around, it wasn't impossible to control the mind or confuse it, especially that they were a pharmaceutical company, adept at such things.

And then sitting in that cushioned chair in his dim-lighted office, he began to have doubts. Saya had been…staying with Diva for far too long. She might have "escaped", but what if she was still under Diva's influence, or perhaps even under Amshel Goldsmith's control? And delving into that question, he began to wonder why he was so excited to see Saya in the first place, why he was waiting there in his office, waiting for her so that he may have breakfast with _her_.

_No_, another part of him said firmly. If she was still under Diva's influence, she could have caused some significant happening with David and Kai. She would have shown some noteworthy behavior, some dangerous attitude which could have alarmed any of her companions. But so far, all that David had said about her ever since her arrival weren't even much; it's just that the girl demanded large sums of food and was quite clumsy and childish—nothing worth taking note in those.

Or perhaps she's just waiting for a chance. Waiting for the perfect chance to bring the Red Shield down. _Waiting until I walked up to her so that she could kill me right then and there. Then she'd return to Diva and—_

_Stop_. He shook his head, blinked, and looked at the book. That's all nonsense, he told himself calmly. All nonsense…

"I cannot be allowed to make any rash conclusions," he said aloud. "That is why," he closed the book and stood up, "I invited her to come here so that I may see for myself if whether or not what I hear from David are true."

The statement had been reasonable enough to cut off the rest of his questioning thoughts, and not wishing to think of any more, he returned the diary back in its place among the other books. Afterwards, he headed for the door and exited his room.

-ns-

Saya stared out through the window and watched the scenes roll by. "Where are we going again?" she asked aloud.

"To see the Director," David, who was the driver, replied. "He has been looking forward to seeing you today."

"Oh." Saya looked out through the glass once more. She leaned her chin into her fist and said something, something barely audible, but David thought he heard it. It sounded like "boring", and it was such a rude remark; he could have berated her right then and there. Instead, he remained silent and thought, she was just into her moods again, and it was quite tolerable. Had she been Kai, he could have punished him by letting him scrub the toilets in the Headquarters once they arrived there. Julia must have heard it and looked at him, but he looked straight on the road. Haji, who was just beside Saya, might have heard what his mistress had said, but remained silent.

Behind the car where they were in trailed a small van which was driven by none other than Lewis. Kai, as usual, was with him.

"You're lucky, don't you think?" the brown man said, lips pulled into a broad smile.

"Why?" Kai stared at the black car ahead of them. He tried to make out a figure through the glass of the dark vehicle.

"It's because the Director prepared a great feast for us."

"Oh." The young man frowned. Not that he had disapproved of what his companion had said. The figure he was hoping to see wasn't Saya, but her Chevalier (It was a ponytail and a broad back and half the part of a cello case which he saw), and it just made him lose his smile when he thought _he _should have been there.

And not with a big fat man who was so enthusiastic about the "great feast" Kai preferred to call by the simple word "breakfast".

-ns-

The massive ship stood before them. At once David led the way and climbed the stairs. The rest followed. Saya was second-to-the-last in the group and it wasn't surprising when the last person trailing behind her was Haji. They met with an agent who had been waiting at the deck and the brown-haired man in the suit welcomed them and led the way inside.

"The director has been waiting," the man—Richard, by name—said as they walked down the hall.

"Has he? Have we arrived past the appointed time?" David inquired.

"Oh, no," Richard replied. "Perhaps he was very much…anxious to see you." For once, the man took notice of the rest of the people with him. His eyes fell lastly on Saya. "I don't think I remember seeing you here. Your face is unfamiliar." The girl stared right back at him, obviously having no intention to give a response to him.

"She is the Director's guest for today," David said.

The agent's eyes widened. "Saya Otonashi?" Another man who happened to pass by glanced back at them and nearly collided with a wall as he turned to a corner.

"It is indeed an honor to meet you, Ms. Otonashi!" Richard said with surprising enthusiasm. He held out his hand for a handshake and the girl had to comply and was forced to shake hands with him.

"After everything, you've finally come back!" Richard said. Saya gave a wry smile as it seemed to be a good thing, what the man had said. But she was clearly uncomfortable and almost automatically Haji stepped next to her, his presence already a warning that the agent lay off.

And the agent did. And to try to alleviate the rather humiliating situation he was in, he retained the smile on his face. "And who might this be…again?" he inquired, a slight trembling in his voice betraying the calm look on his face.

"Saya's Chevalier," David answered.

"Oh…I see." Richard looked up at the white man who happened to be taller than him. He might have earned the same complexion when his face paled, an unexpected reaction, as Haji's dark unwavering eyes gave him a sideways look. "It's…It's nice to meet you, uh…"

"Haji."

"Haji," Richard repeated quickly, holding out a hand.

The Chevalier remained expressionless and made no move to shake hands with him. When the situation turned more embarrassing and awkward, Haji decided to comply to this human custom.

He held out his bandaged appendage, a right hand as well, and Richard had to use his left hand instead. There was a flash of curiosity on his face before they shook hands since the hand he had to shake with was bandaged and was somehow almost…deformed. He shook hands with Haji nonetheless, and as they did, his dignified countenance twisted into a look of horror and bewilderment as he felt the texture beneath the rough fabric: unusual skin, hard and bumpy.

Now Saya had seen this and could not help but giggle. The rest had witnessed it as well, and found it funny. Julia had to cover her mouth with the back of her palm to hold back the laughter. Kai faced the other side and snickered. Lewis chuckled, and David who always took everything seriously, had to smile as well.

Richard, with what was left of his dignity, cleared his throat and straightened himself, posture awkwardly rigid. "We're here," he said, stopping to stand before an entrance and gesturing them to enter.

"Thank you," David said, giving a nod to express his gratitude. Richard smiled—it was a fake smile this time—and left immediately. He looked more of a mouse scurrying away from some unfortunate happening and in this case, deliberate humiliation.

The whole group entered the wide dining hall and there standing at the head of the table stood Joel Goldschmidt VI.

-ns-

As the small group entered, he searched through the faces of each one and saw her. He made no further reaction to express his elation, however, and merely gave a reserved smile, the kind of practiced smile used to hide true emotions. He ushered them in, holding out his arm in a welcoming gesture. His countenance bore the authority of an austere head, yet the eyes revealed more of a friendly, young man.

"Director," David began, stepping ahead of the group that had gathered before him at the end of the table.

"Please take your seats," Joel said mildly. "I had breakfast prepared for us."

"Of course." David motioned the rest to abide to what he had said, and stepped forward, asking in a lower tone, "Must I have Saya sit next to you so that you may be able to converse with her easily?"

"No," Joel answered in a loud voice, enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Let Ms. Otonashi choose the place where she is most comfortable." As he said this, his eyes were looking on, not on David, but on Saya. The girl looked at him when she heard him mention her name. He smiled at her; she showed no reaction.

Saya was three seats away from him. As soon as they had seated themselves, waiters—agents who had merely discarded their outer suits and were wearing waistcoats—came in, one after the other, and served them different dishes.

"Isn't breakfast considered to be the most important meal of the day?" the Director said with obvious mirth when he had seen the surprised looks on his companions mix with curiosity at the large banquet set before them.

-ns-

"So how are you feeling, Saya?" the Director asked as they began to eat.

"I'm quite…fine," the girl replied. She only gave him one glance before turning most of her attention to the food on her plate.

A smile danced on Joel's lips. "'Quite'? Are you still suffering some illness David had not informed me about?"

"No," Saya answered, uneasiness making its way into her voice. "It's not that…" She paused momentarily, spoon still carrying the vegetable of which she was about to place into her mouth.

"Then are you not comfortable seeing me?" Everyone was stunned by this question. "Perhaps I forced you to come here even when you didn't want to."

Perhaps his line of questions were but friendly queries to liven up the situation. After all, no one had dared to talk and it seemed like the privilege of speaking was only reserved for Saya. But somehow, it seemed different, how the rest perceived it, especially David, whose perpetual frown deepened with concern.

"Well, I…" She hadn't been nervous at all, not even when she entered the very Headquarters of the Red Shield, not even when she walked down its wide halls and not even when she had met the young Director in person. But now, she was staring to since everyone was paying keen attention to their conversation. If Kai would have intervened with some joke, it would have encouraged her to talk. But his usually talkative brother was as quiet as everyone else, listening respectfully like everyone else.

"I…" Joel's last guess had been right: she _didn't _want to come. She was only told to and Kai had to talk her into it, going so far so as to bribe her with food. The calm face of Joel VI had told her to tell the truth, but the rest of the looks in everyone else's clearly said that she deny it. Haji's blank look was of no help.

"No," she said finally with some effort. "You have nothing to do with this…illness. And don't worry; I'll feel better soon."

"I'm glad to hear that," Joel said, seeming to not notice the discomfort hanging in the air. At least he pretended to, since he knew he could not contribute to her better state.

-ns-

Joel had seen photographs of Saya. He had known almost everything about her life, from the diary of Joel Goldschmidt I stating her birth and her childhood, her growth and development, her hibernation, her involvement in Vietnam War. He had always been informed, receiving reports of her daily life as a normal student under George Miyagusku's care and David's supervision.

He had known her almost her whole life, but he had never seen her in person, or at least seen her close enough to examine her and match the information he received from reports of her to the _actual_ her.

But all he saw in Saya was a sullen teenage girl—not a monster or Chiropteran Queen as he had learned. At least within that segment of time, her apparent features revealed nothing of which indicated _what _she was. But unlike any other teenage girl whom he knew, Saya was a glutton—and this wasn't obvious as she maintained a healthy form—and it made Joel smile. Never in all his wildest imaginations could he think that this seemingly normal and gluttonous girl was the 'her' of whom the Red Shield solely depended on for the past decades.

Joel VI had always been looking forward to seeing Saya and this was becoming more apparent. His voice was more enthusiastic than it was supposed to be as he conversed with Saya. Saya, on the other hand, seemed to take no interest in any of the topics the Director had talked about, let alone Joel himself. To her, the Director was just like any average person: boring, plain but most of all, human. Perhaps what made him so prominent was his undeniable wealth, his position as Director of the Red Shield and his family name: Goldschmidt. Being Joel Goldschmidt I's direct descendant, who was well-known as a successful scientist and an opulent businessman owning many lands and properties (the Zoo in Bordeaux being one of them), it was not surprising that he was still respected and known, despite being the 6th generation.

The fact that he was boring made her lose interest in everything that he had said, and the amazing variety of dishes distracted her. Instead of having to listen attentively to Joel as everyone had expected her to, she did so partly and only gave dull remarks and used the "Oh" and the "I see" phrases instead of saying something brighter. Though Joel didn't mind this at all, David disapproved of Saya's rude attitude and had wanted to scold her. But he couldn't, not in front of the Director, and he also had a feeling Saya wouldn't pay any heed to any of what he'd tell her. So to make up for the things Saya lacked, he talked to the Director and to his relief, Joel responded with a favorable reply and thus their conversation extended pleasantly, with Julia and Lewis sometimes making remarks and joining in.

Whilst the adults were having a conversation of their own, Kai was watching Saya eat, not surprised at the very least when he saw the sums of food she had taken in. He was hungry that morning, too, and he had eaten a considerable amount of food. But now he thought he could not bear taking another bite, and had no better thing to do than to watch his sister consume the rest of the meals.

"You're not full yet, are you?" he asked, leaning back and raising an eyebrow.

His sister shook her head, her mouth still crammed with food which prevented her from talking.

"Mmm…" Kai couldn't think of anything else to say to her. She was too preoccupied by the meals, so he thought of asking no further. He remained silent and listened to what the adults were talking about. When he learned it was about some experiences they had gone through as allies, he instantly grew bored and made no attempt to listen anymore. His gaze settled on Saya for a few moments, then to the adults who were obviously enjoying their conversation, and finally to Haji. The Chevalier did not touch his food, and his plate remained clean and empty. When they had begun eating, Joel had noticed this and inquired why Haji refused to eat. He must had forgotten that Chevaliers no longer eat as they hardly require food, with exception to blood, which they also took in small amounts and in the rarest occasions. When Joel had been reminded of this, he gave an embarrassed laugh and excused himself for having to forget that fact.

Kai raised an eyebrow at the Chevalier. Haji made no reaction, and stared right back at him. Kai snorted in ridicule, and finding nothing else to do as he was done with his meal, he folded his arms and listened to what the adults were discussing, thinking he might find something worthwhile in their conversation.

-ns-

"You wouldn't mind at all, Ms. Otonashi," Joel said when they were done eating (or at least when Saya was finally satiated) and the dishes and trays were taken away, "if you would spend the rest of your day here?"

Saya was in the midst of nibbling a toffee bar Joel had served specially for her (for he had learned that the girl loved sweets), but stopped, when she had heard the question. The thing was, she had expected that they would leave soon after they were done having breakfast. She could not deny this request, since from the way everyone looked at her, it was a duty she had to fulfill. And coming from the Director himself of whom her companions had regarded so highly, she had no other favorable choices, unless she wanted to cause Joel insult or disappointment.

"I…I think I wouldn't mind," she said finally, failing to hide most of her reluctance.

Joel had sensed this and quickly thought of something which may uplift her mood. "You're…fond of wide places, aren't you?"

Saya looked at him, surprise and curiosity evident in the way her eyes widened momentarily. How did he know?

"I'm sure you would like to know what's behind every door of this ship," Joel went on with more confidence when he saw that he had caught her attention. He was amused when he saw the bewilderment in Saya's face and he was sure she might be wondering how he had come to learn of the things she had come to love. "And I am more than willing to allow you to explore the Headquarters and go wherever you like. There are some restrictions, of course, and one of the places I strictly forbid you to enter is my room."

"Alright," Saya agreed readily, her sudden enthusiasm the first sign of her growing interest. Now _this _had certainly caught genuine interest. Perhaps staying in the ship wasn't half as bad as staying in the park was. Besides, the ship was of considerable size and consisted of several floors so exploring would very much be a thrill. "Can you specify some places I ought to not enter?" This question was another good sign, and her mood had lightened much more.

"Your friends here would be more than happy to tell you," Joel said, gesturing to David and Lewis. "Right now I still have some things to attend to. So if you would excuse me," he stood up, "I'll be leaving you to enjoy yourselves here." The Director inclined his head to David, who dipped his head in response.

-ns-

"So I can go anywhere I want, right?" Saya inquired with a vibrant voice.

The lines on David's forehead deepened with concern. He was sure she wasn't too happy moments ago. "There are restrictions," he reminded soberly. "The lower floors are made for keeping weaponry and you certainly are not to go there. And as the Director had said: you are not to enter his chamber, the mini library next to it, and the two other rooms following it."

"So I'm free to enter the rest?" Saya stood up.

"Allow me to remind you that you are not to touch things which are not yours."

Now this was more of a direct statement than a vague implication, which Saya found rather annoying. "But I don't own anything here," she stated.

"And thus I stress my point: you are not to touch anything."

"Not even the railings of this ship?" Saya inquired with vague indifference. "They're not mine. But if I can't be allowed to hold them, I might fall aboard the ship."

"I'm sure you haven't taken it too literally, Saya," David returned. "And besides," he continued, folding his arms, "how could you possibly fall off the ship?"

"What if I had an unfortunate trip?"

"You won't," David assured her.

"Alright. I just hope I won't," Saya replied; there was a note of sarcasm in her voice, but David did not take this into account. The girl gave a smile, which was seemingly disdainful, yet amused. Then she left the room, calling her Chevalier along, who immediately followed her.

There was an unusual pause when Saya had gone. David merely closed his eyes, as if he were contemplating on some important matter, while the rest remained quiet and waited for someone to speak up.

Though no one had spoken, they all had the same thought: Saya's attitude. Her previous reply had revealed rudeness even Kai found rather unacceptable and far too impolite, even if it were against David. Why she had been so sarcastic and somewhat disdainful, not one of them knew. Why she had changed, and how she did was another mystery. Everyone remembered, though it had been months since they had last been with her, that she wasn't so impolite. A little immature, yes, but her childishness was pure innocence; recently she was getting a little _too _childish, in a mischievous manner, which was more troublesome, and she seemed to want to destroy things more than to keep them neat and undamaged as they were. But what was there to do? Everyone kept in mind that dealings with Saya were delicate. She had only come back a few days ago, and there were obvious streaks of _'her'_. Possibly. So for the moment, it was agreed that no one was to be too hard on her—at least not yet.

"I'll be going to the lower floors," David said finally, standing up and leaving. This seemed to signal everyone that they had their own businesses to attend to, for Julia said that she had research to do, and Lewis said that he had to go check up on the weaponry as he always had whenever he came to HQ. Kai, who basically had nothing to do, couldn't think of anything to say, and remained in his seat.

"Make some friends," Lewis suggested, smiling broadly, before exiting the room when David and Julia had gone out—together—and Lewis intentionally had them leave first.

"Don't worry," Kai assured sarcastically, "I will." Lewis gave a short laugh, and soon Kai found himself alone. He couldn't think why everyone seemed so busy. _Or perhaps they're just pretending to_, he thought. _Oh well. Better get my butt moving and pretend to be busy as well. _"Or make some friends," he told himself, repeating what Lewis had told him. It wasn't funny at all, but he laughed at it anyway.

_Or maybe I should search for Saya and see what she's up to._

-ns-

Saya walked down the nicely-polished, wooden floor of the ship. Only a few hours had passed, and she had only explored a fraction of the Headquarters. Whenever a door was left jar, even in the slightest inch, she would enter it. She once even entered a room which happened to belong to a few agents; one of them was half-naked, only in his boxers, still in the process of changing, and Saya had stood in the threshold, and had seen him. And she laughed, and they heard her and looked quickly to her direction. But by the time they did, the girl was gone, and they all shrugged, and thought that it was merely something in the air. They never would have guessed that a girl practically sixteen years of age, had been exploring the Red Shield Headquarters at that particular time.

Then she had come across some agents, who cast her suspicious but mostly curious looks; some had inquired her who she was and how in the world could she be in HQ, skipping down the halls in a lighthearted manner, as if she were in Wonderland.

"This is no playground, girl," they told her sharply. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"Hi," Saya replied buoyantly. "I'm Saya Otonashi, and Joel told me I could go anywhere I want in his nice, big boat. Do you know any fun place I could play in?" The agents fell silent, hardly believing their ears. Could the girl standing before them really be she who many of their comrades had died trying to recover in multiple missions? Their faces turned pallid; the Director wouldn't just let anyone, let alone a teenage girl, walk in the very floors of HQ. And the man behind the girl looked familiar; they recognized him to be the Chevalier. The agents looked funny in their initial reaction from which they haven't recovered from yet, and Saya, partly out of fun, and partly out of growing boredom, left them to stand there.

"Fine; I'll just be asking someone else," she said, walking past them. Then they turned around to watch her leave, tongues frozen.

When Saya got tired of having to be inquired with the same questions from every different agent she came across in the ship, she thought of going past them using Chiropteran speed. She wasn't too fast, at least not yet, but she was able to go unnoticed. There was a mere, abrupt stirring in the air, and the agent would feel it, glance back, and see a solemn Chevalier walking toward him the moment he looked back on the path he was taking.

Once Saya thought of having some game: there was a corner up ahead, and she leaned against it, waited for an approaching agent, stuck out her foot, and made him trip. Then she giggled wildly, and escaped the scene and the only person the agent saw when he looked up with a sharp glare was solemn Haji. He quickly lost his glare when the dark, soulless orbs of the Chevalier met with his. Then he dusted himself, swearing a bit under his breath, and left at once, still wondering how the stoic Chevalier could giggle like a girl.

Whilst the girl was enjoying herself, Haji merely watched her in silence. He allowed her to do as she pleased, even when she had begun rather mischievous pranks of which she—and not the victims—enjoyed. He made no move to stop her, but just fulfilled his duty and followed her, never failing to leave her side as she explored the ship from one place to another. He, too, was the one who suffered for her little crimes; the agents Saya had played her jokes on thought that it was him who committed them, and cursed him, not directly, of course, and gave them the sharpest glare, which would always waver when their furious eyes met directly with his monotonous ones.

-ns-

It was lunchtime, and outstandingly, everyone had made it just in time for the meal. Joel did not call anyone yet, and planned to have some agents call them in to the dining room. He was impressed when everyone stood waiting for him. When he had seated himself, they followed suit, each one seated in the places where they had been earlier.

When the meals were brought in, everyone started eating with gusto. As everyone sat enjoying their meal, Joel said, "I have received reports of some small accidents in this ship in the previous hours. A 'mischievous imp', as they described, has been playing pranks of them, making them trip, sneaking into their rooms…" As Joel continued narrating what he had been told, Saya blushed lightly, then managed to hold back her laughter with a smile.

"…If I'm not mistaken, it must have been our little guest here." Joel's eyes fell on Saya, and everyone else's followed.

He knew it was her; it was so obvious. But he went on asking anyway, "Are you the little 'mischievous imp' who plays those pranks on my agents?"

"What would you do?" Saya returned. It was a playful challenge, which amused Joel.

"Nothing, nothing of course," he said with a short laugh. "Have your fun. But please do me a favor, and try not to overdo your pranks. I need my agents to be in the best health always, every hour of the day."

"I believe the agents are not playthings, Director," David commented, though this was an implication directed at Saya, who instantly knew that David had disapproved of her actions. She frowned.

"I won't break them," she said, as if she were really referring to the agents as mere toys and nothing more.

"I ask that you do not even try to," David replied, a mild retaliation, but retaliation nonetheless, which offended the girl.

"I won't," she said rather rudely.

The Director saw that the conversation was turning into heated dispute and tried to change it back to its course. "I had chosen some nice, delectable desserts," he intervened mildly. Previously set before him which was left untouched, was a large, covered tray. He removed the lid, exposing beneath colorful, little sweets, arranged so neatly that it caught everyone's attention. "Berry confections," Joel said, pleased that he had succeeded in cooling the heated dispute. "Blackberry, strawberry, blueberry and pecan, raspberry and cranberry—please take your pick. They are a great favorite of mine, and I thought of having the honor of serving it to everyone."

"Really?" Saya inquired, quickly dismissing the matter from moments ago. Joel nodded. At once, she stood up and reached for the small food tongs, but a hand promptly got it before she could. She looked up at the person who had taken it.

"Allow me," Kai said with a smile. He thought of trying to ease the mood further. "You eat so much that I think I have to monitor you before you turn like this guy," he pointed at Lewis.

Amazingly it worked. "No way," Saya said, giving a mischievous smile. With her bare hand, she picked up a few of the sweets.

"Saya, where are your table manners?"

-ns-

David quickly walked into the office, and stood before the Director's desk, which was, up 'till then, piled with papers and folders. The seat and the one seated upon it were facing the window, backs turned against him. But the seat quickly spun around, and the Director faced him with a smile.

"Please," he said, gesturing to a nearby chair.

"What is it you called me for, Director?" David asked as soon as he was seated.

"When is the concert to be held?" Joel inquired, ignoring his question.

"A week, supposedly," David replied. "However, they postponed it for unknown reasons, and planned to have it ten days after instead."

"You think they postponed it because they fear Saya?"

"I should think so."

"Well, it doesn't matter the reason," Joel said, dismissing the idea, which surprised David. "That is not what I'm concerned about," the Director said. "What bothers me is the days which we have left. Thanks to them, we have an extension, so we could make more preparations. However," he took out a folder, flipped it open, and showed the papers to him, "the progress report I've received regarding Cinq Fléches' preceding projects were a success, and are still rapidly improving in an alarming rate. Among these I've considered the five-day concert of Diva of which they've sponsored for together with the Goldsmith Holdings."

David read the report, as the Director continued: "We've lost too many resources in our effort to recover Saya. We have her right now, but I fear she is not enough once she is used in battle. We have lost too much men, though I am still capable to get enough for a few more missions." He extended a hand, signaling that David return the documents, and David immediately stood up and handed him back the folder. "Although we still have a considerable amount of resources, I believe the only problem is our men. They are highly skilled soldiers; however, I fear they are still far too incompetent in their dealings with Chiroptera, and I wish to have them stand up to the required skills," he stood up, and looked out the window, "perhaps sharpening their abilities in order that they may be able to handle these sorts of fatal situations of which I also fear are worsening by the minute."

"And what does the Director have in mind with regard to this problem?" David said.

"Training." The Director faced him. "They must undergo training."

"But haven't they undergone training before they even entered the Red Shield?"

"They have," the Director acknowledged. "But I realized that it is not enough. Teaching them how to fire with a gun isn't enough. We need plans. Tactics. Efficient techniques which we could use to kill Chiroptera without suffering much damage ourselves."

"What type of training exactly, Director?"

"Training that is beyond the simple training in which we are accustomed to putting them under," Joel answered simply. His eyes shone with what might have been excitement. "The different type. Intense training that may help sharpen their skills, so that they may commit fewer mistakes. Do you understand me?"

"I think I do, Director."

"Good." Joel faced the window again. "Seven days."

"Seven days…?"

"Training would only consist of seven days and seven nights," Joel explained further. "And with only a chosen group of people. I have chosen at least fifty, and under the list, I have included Miyagusku Kai, and Akihiro Okamura." David's frown deepened when the boy's name had been mentioned. "I hope my decision hasn't disappointed you."

"Director," David said firmly. "I do not disapprove of your decision for this sort of training. I personally think it will help improve our fighting skills. But what I do find unfavorable is your decision for including Kai in the training. He is but a boy, too young to learn any of those."

"He handles a gun, yes?"

"He does."

"And he has participated in the most recent mission of which proved most fatal so far. He had survived, and had suffered only minor injuries. And if I'm not mistaken from what I've heard, he had even come close enough to Saya during the mission—a thing we failed to do. Does that not prove that he is qualified to handle this training?"

"We already have Saya, Director," David pointed out. "We need not Kai participate in the preceding missions anymore. I am not his father, but I am the person whom George Miyagusku had entrusted me to, so I only think it is for the boy's sake that he stays."

"And not shape who he is becoming," Joel said with a note of amusement, which sounded more like mockery, as he faced him once more, "or I'd rather say, who he has _chosen_ into becoming?"

"He was only forced to take this path," David stated.

"And it is a path which he can no longer alter," Joel finished. "He has left his normal life and has chosen to fight the Chiroptera. He could no longer return to his past life—none of us can, not unless we have put a complete stop to Cinq Fléches' schemes, not unless we've completely annihilated the Chiroptera, and killed Diva and her Chevaliers." He sat down in his chair. "Tell the boy; let him choose. He has his say, for it is him who is directly affected. I do not wish to rouse bitter dispute between us, but I do feel that it has already started. Forgive me."

"There is no reason to apologize, Director," David said. "It is I who should be asking for an apology. Forgive me for having to go against you, but I merely fear for the boy's future."

"Go," Joel told him, smile still gracing his young face. "Go and tell him; talk about it. I shall wait, so do take your time and contact me when the boy has made his final decision. And then I shall discuss further the matter for your better understanding." He inclined his head. "You may take your leave."

"Thank you, Director." David dipped his head as well, before standing up and leaving the office. The Director sighed heavily when he was alone, leaned back into his seat and stared up blankly at the ceiling.

* * *

_Okay, I know it sucks, but I had to cut it short. There's still a second part. Boring, huh? I think so, too. I had nothing special in mind, so you could say that this chapter is so "normal". Boring. _

_*Yawn* My word! I think the chapter bored me so much that I think I'm going to fall asleep! So, that's all then. _

_Oh no, I think I'll fall asleep and never ever awaken again to continue the story! You want a solution? Alrighty, then. To help me, you must do the ff:_

_Step 1. Click the 'Review This Chapter' thingy or whateveryoucallit._

_Step 2. Put your review/comment._

_Step 3. Then smile to make the world a better place! *smiles* Yay!_

_That is all! Thank you for reading this! I hope you gave a review 'cause I'm SERIOUSLY not going to wake up without those reviews! _

_I know it's random and all, but… *shrugs*_

…_FUDGE! You know who I'm talkin' to? Oh, and sorry I told you I would be adding three or four more pages. It turned out to be only a single, additional page…_

_Byebye!_

…_I hope you still liked this chapter!_


	33. Chapter 27: In the Headquarters Part II

_Hi! It's been quite a long time…a month, actually. So, yeah, I've once again managed to make a new chapter and guess what? There are improvements! You wanna know the ultimate improvement? _

_*drum rolls*_

…_It just got more boring! (Five featured characters: Saya, Haji, Kai, Joel, David)_

_Hurrah! Rejoice with me, whoever is still there willing to read my bo-ring chapter! And curse my piteous soul if there be a vile mistake…the unclean, defiled thing. (I think I made really silly mistakes this time, and if ever you chanced upon one…don't laugh, okay? Stupid, annoying MS Word…)_

_Oh, and for future reference: (a) 'Locoum' is some sort of traditional candy from goodness knows where (America? Not really sure.). (b) Flat Holm and Steep Holm are two small islands located in the Bristol Channel, UK. Flat Holm is a…flat island and Steep Holm is…steep. _

_Happy reading! XD_

* * *

Chapter XVII

In the Headquarters

-Part II-

-ns-

Saya walked down the wide hallway, holding a box of the berry confections. Before they had left, each one to his own business, Joel had suggested that she take a box of the sweets for herself. The Director had seen how the girl had liked the berry confections, and was greatly pleased that Saya had found delight in something he was fond of. So he thought he should give her some, went out to take one, and personally handed a box to Saya, who accepted it with great pleasure.

Now she had eaten a great deal of the contents, and only a few pieces were remaining. She took another one out, held it up to admire it, and was about to place it in her mouth, when she remembered something. It was an almost-forgotten memory of which she never expected to remember; there walking down the halls of the Red Shield Headquarters with her Chevalier quietly following her, she remembered the far past:

"_What's that?" the pale-skinned, twelve-year-old boy asked, dark eyes reflecting curiosity at the strange, red cube-shaped thing held between two delicate fingers of his much older companion._

"_You don't know what these are?" the much older girl in the pink dress said in surprise, revealing a whole lot more of the colorful things in the box she had. _

"_No."_

"_Well, they're called Locoum," the girl explained patiently._

"_Locoum…?" He looked confused as he repeated the word foreign in his tongue._

"_Never heard one either?" the girl said, dismayed. _

"_No." The boy shook his head. She frowned. How could he not know Locoum?_

_An idea reached her, and she brightened. "Hey, why don't you try one?" She sat in front of him, holding the candy readily. "Open your mouth." When he did, she popped it in, and ordered him to shut his mouth. She didn't have to instruct him any further because he started chewing, chewing and smiling with amazement with the sudden burst of flavors in his mouth. Never before had he eaten anything as sweet as delicious as this so-called "Locoum". _

"_You want more?" Saya asked, clearly pleased to see that her friend liked it. When the boy nodded with unusual vigor, she stuck out her tongue and ran away. "You have to catch me first!"_

A wave of nostalgia brushed over her, and her heart faltered momentarily; she felt compelled to do something, something to help her keep that feeling_—yearning—_inside. Then she realized, for once, she had not done anything too good that day, nothing good for anyone, at least. And she thought of being nice to him_—the boy who chased her because he wanted that sweet, red thing—_and in a child-like manner, swiveled around to face her Chevalier. He was no longer a boy; he was a tall, pale-skinned man whose face always and forever remained blank—_not unlike the boy who laughed and cried and blushed. _He was a man, a dedicated Chevalier, but Saya thought, maybe he might not be so different from the boy of long ago.

She held out the red confection to him. "Want one?"

"No. That is yours," Haji replied.

"I know. But now I want to give it to you."

The Chevalier made no move to take the sweet held between her delicate fingers. "I believe Joel gave you those confections because he wants you to enjoy each and every piece in that box."

"I've eaten a lot," Saya said, "so it doesn't matter anymore."

"I am not fond of sweets," was the Chevalier's dull statement.

"Liar."

"I insist that you eat it."

"Hold out your hand."

"Saya…"

"Hold it out."

The Chevalier obeyed and obediently held out his hand to her. Saya placed the candy on his palm and smiled. "Now I've given it to you and now it's in your hand so you can't give it back!" she said and ran away from him, laughing.

The Chevalier watched her as the girl ran down, laughing in a…rather different way—if he were to give his opinion. Different, yes, but seemingly natural. He stood there, witnessed the scene when Saya glanced back at him and almost bumped into an agent. Then he looked at the small red thing in his palm, and might have felt it too, that nostalgia. And then the memories weren't too far from remembering.

-ns-

David walked down hallway. He had been searching for Kai for half an hour in the ship, but for some reason, he didn't seem to be anywhere. _He doesn't do anything here, does he? _the grim man asked himself. The boy just idles around, loitering anywhere where he deemed it to be comfortable. David had searched through those "comfortable" places, those areas where Kai was usually found staring into space, but he wasn't in any of them. He inquired about the boy from agents he came across, but the only person whom they mentioned was a teenage girl happily skipping down the halls and a solemn Chevalier silently following after her.

As he continued to walk, he began to think about the matter which he was to inform Kai about. _I doubt he could even pass the Army Physical Fitness Test_, he thought. He hasn't undergone training, except for some practicing with guns and familiarization with weaponry which could momentarily delay Chiropterans. There was no real training involved. No running for an hour, no formal marksmanship, no nothing.

Kai had not even undergone formal training when he became a part of the Red Shield. He was Saya's brother, so it was only natural that he be treated as someone important. Unlike the rest who had gone through the pain and the weariness of training the whole day for months which altogether pressed heavily on them both physically and mentally, the boy had joined Red Shield as if he had joined some school club. He didn't have to go through intense training, or pass IQ tests. _He didn't even finish High School yet, _David realized.

It was only under his and Lewis' supervision that Kai gained understanding in the handling of certain firearms, but he knew that wasn't enough. It wouldn't help him pull through the training. He didn't think Kai could survive. He himself had gone through similar training before he served in the Red Shield. He saw how it made men, _men _crack. Crack like eggs. Fall down like a sack of potatoes. How could a teenage boy possibly survive such training? He was till too young, too inexperienced. Though what the Director said about Kai being skilled enough to survive perilous missions when other well-trained agents could not was true, David believed that it was only the doing of fortune, quick reflexes and steely determination that the boy survived.

Another thing cast him further into doubt: Kai's attitude. The boy was noisy, stubborn and arrogant. What built his confidence was his learned skill of firing at someone with guns. _And his mouth… _David found himself sighing. Kai didn't know how to control his mouth. Even when David flung things at him to shut the boy up from blabbering on and on about how they should retrieve Saya in the past, Kai never learned. _Perhaps he never will_, David thought.

_I'll just hope he could manage serious punishment._

-ns-

Kai had been wandering the ship's interior rooms and halls for what might have seemed to be half an hour. An hour ago, he was sure of his purpose: he had to find Saya. Now, when he had caught no sight of her, when he was tired of having to hear about her messing with people and things, he began to wonder why he was looking for his sibling in the first place. "What the heck are you doing, Kai?" he asked himself, unaware that his voice was loud. "If you found her, what would you accomplish?" _Nothing, of course, _another voice, another part of him replied. "Obviously," he said with intended sarcasm. _I might be able to stop her from playing her pranks and causing trouble; she might just go too far and that won't be good_, he thought mentally. "Well, I could do that," he said, still not realizing that he was talking to himself. "But she wouldn't listen. I'm sure she wouldn't. She's just going to ignore me and have her fun. She might even play her next prank on me. Which, as you know, is not a good thing." No thought came into mind to contradict this statement.

He continued to walk. _You might as well take your afternoon nap,_ he thought. "Alright," he decided, liking the idea as it was a habit of his, with a shrug, "sounds like a plan."

-ns-

The rest of the day turned out to be boring. She hadn't been able to explore the whole ship either. She just suddenly felt like she had to stop for a while. Her pranks weren't working anymore; the agents of whom she had come across were already victims of her past mischief, and had learned a great deal from their experiences and avoided her. The other agents, the 'new' ones, those she had not victimized yet, were well-informed and avoided her as well. A wise move, she discerned. A wise move indeed. It prevented her from having her fun, which all the more increased her boredom.

Sometimes the agents were scared enough to actually 'run away'. It didn't really involve literal running where they'd take to their heels. Given the chance, they _could _have. However, they were courteous and dignified enough to simply turn around with that sort of 'formalized' motion, and walk away. It would have looked nice, but the others were stupid, making an act and pretending that they had forgotten something with an "Ah!" or "I can't believe I remembered it just now", which should have made it seem more realistic and excusable. But Saya saw it otherwise; she once found herself laughing so loudly because she couldn't hold it back anymore, which made the agent quicken his steps to escape the embarrassing situation.

If an agent was lucky enough, there would be another corner where they could turn to and avoid having to meet with her. Others, though, weren't blessed with the same luck. At one time, an agent came, and when he saw her, his expression changed. It was a small change, really, but Saya understood it. A twitch in the lips. A small twist in the expression. His seemingly serious face was so easy to read. It would have been nice to laugh at how worried and scared he looked; she didn't do anything to him and yet there he was, looking quite horrified. He tried to retain his composure; he was quite good at masking his fear.

Saya watched as they advanced to each other. The agent couldn't escape then; at least he didn't plan to. She wondered what this one would do after seeing his former companions scurry away like mice. _Vermin_, she preferred to call them, the harshness of the term not seeming to occur to her.

The next move was quite amusing: "A pleasant afternoon, Ms. Otonashi," the agent greeted with a great deal of effort, briefly stopping to dip his head.

Seeing as he deserved a favorable reply, she said, "Good afternoon, too." And she spiced this up with a smile, a childish grin actually, which seemed to put the agent at ease. His small practiced smile turned genuine and he inclined his head once more before continuing on his way.

She had the impulse of making him trip or fall with some move of hers. But she figured in the end, as he walked away, that his bravery had to be rewarded, so he left him unscathed.

_Him only_, she promised herself. _He's different._

That was almost an hour ago. She later found herself standing still for almost twenty minutes, and for twenty minutes staring at the vast expanse of the sea in silence. And she hadn't realized she was thinking, dwelling in matters she usually would not dwell in, of the man everyone in the ship called "Director", and of the man who lived six generations back, bearing that same name. _Joel._

The most unlikely man she could ever think of in that particular time of the day. _Or perhaps not…_she thought, leaning a delicate chin into her palm. _I'm on his ship, after all…_ A seagull flew past and her gaze settled on the bird before it flew high up into the sky; she had to squint to try to see it, but it had disappeared. Dismayed, she looked for other seagulls to look at. For once, within that segment of time when she had nothing to do, she was able to appreciate the appearance of the birds. They were indeed fascinating creatures to her—_unlike the higher species, the humans—_and she had not realized that her thoughts centered on them.

_Joel. _The name suddenly flashed in her mind. _Joel… _"…Goldschmidt…" she said absentmindedly, failing to realize she had said the surname aloud. It was once mine. That name… "Goldschmidt," she repeated, inhaling the salty air and feeling drowsy from the heat of the day. I was once a Goldschmidt, too. I once lived under that name. She closed her eyes and listened to the cries of the seagulls, blending melodically with the soft lapping of the water against the edges of the ship far below.

_Joel. Goldschmidt._

_Saya. Goldschmidt._

Her mind wandered on, back, back into the far past. _A hand reaching out to grab the dark-haired boy to her. A cry of surprise. Laughter. _The vague image and the sounds slowly faded away when she pulled herself back into reality. She opened her eyes again and watched the sea sparkle in the bright sunlight, then turned back to face her Chevalier, whom she almost forgot was with her.

"_Haji, who am I?"_

"_You're Saya, of course."_

She stared right into his eyes; he made no reaction and looked back straight into hers.

"_Saya?"_

"_Saya Goldschmidt."_

"_Why Goldschmidt? Isn't that father's name already?"_

She blinked. He stared in silence.

"_It is. You're a Goldschmidt, too, like him, because you're his daughter. You bear his family name."_

"_Will that be my name forever? I don't want to have the same name he has."_

"_I suppose. Well, if you get married, it would be replaced by your husband's family name."_

"_I won't ever get married. So that means I'll be a Goldschmidt forever."_

"_Yes."_

A few minutes had passed and neither looked away. Finally, after the minutes of unusual, unbreakable silence, she asked, "Haji, am I a Goldschmidt?"

"No."

His answer satisfied her. She turned away and faced the sea again.

"If I were to bear that name," she said, "that means I'd be like them."

"But you are not like them," the Chevalier replied.

A ridiculing smile. "That's right," she agreed, "I'm not a bit like them. We're different." A small pause. "I'm different. I'm not stupid either. They're human and I'm not. And yet I still bore that name…"

"You no longer do."

"I don't," she said, facing him once more. "And I'm glad that I never will." A question tugged on her mind and she wasted no moment to voice it out. "Haji, is Joel Goldschmidt VI stupid?"

The Chevalier looked at her rather strangely before responding. "He fares better than the former generations." His reply amused her.

"How so?"

"It's obvious in his eyes…his compassion."

"A bigger heart?" said Saya, raising an eyebrow in interest. A genuine smile quirked at the corner of her lips. "Perhaps." She turned away, and when she spoke the next few words, her voice softened. "The man who bore the original name was heartless." The smile instantly disappeared at the memory of him.

"He took immense care of you," the Chevalier commented quietly.

"I won't deny it," replied Saya. "I was so well taken care of that I turned into a spoiled brat. I was so happy and free back then…" _While the other was not. _"…And I used to sing and dance and pick flowers and play in the sun all day." _While 'she' had to be locked away high up in that cold, dark tower. _"It's funny," she went on, smugly leaning forward on the railing, "it's all coming back now. Like it was just yesterday…or the day before that. When you were just a young, innocent boy"—her eyes flickered to him for a moment, but she immediately looked away—"and I the playful teenage princess in the pink dress…" Her eyes narrowed, as if she were reminiscing on the far, far past, or perhaps it was just because the sun was too bright that afternoon—or both.

_And there was the girl who was clothed in rags who loved to sing, whose voice was so much better than mine. _"And Joel was like a loving father"—_he never was my father_—"and he gave me all that I wanted and made me as happy as I could possibly be…" _While he silently ruined 'her' life and I didn't know. When he conducted his inhuman experiments on 'her', looking upon 'her' with cold, soulless orbs, which only warmed at the sight of his daughter. Her. She. Saya._

"I was so happy, nothing else mattered to me anymore," she said, and was saddened. How could she have realized it just now? How could she have understood this right when 'she' was far away, when 'she' had been the reason why the memories kept coming in, smoothly, naturally? All of a sudden, it was sad. She felt a slight, cold emptiness spring up somewhere inside, despite the humidity of the afternoon, and the brightness of the sun.

She knew she should stop talking—_quit talking about 'her', because it'll hurt again. _Before she could stop herself, however, her mouth was already opening to form the next line of words. "I always thought he was the father I would always love," she said. "But looking back, knowing and understanding my past, and everything that had happened back then, I realized that I was wrong. He wasn't a real father, was he, Haji?"

"He was a man of Science, dedicated to his work."

"Yes, he was dedicated, wasn't he?" acknowledged Saya. "In fact, he was so dedicated that he even considered me as a part of his experiment. I was simply under a different environment, the favorable side of the project." Unwittingly, she continued, "Diva wasn't the only lab rat…"

The Chevalier made no reaction to this statement. It might have been nice if he gave a reaction, Saya thought to herself. Because then, she'd know he was angry, too. She'd see that he was to hate Joel I because he had used her as his experiment. Then her anger would be more reasonable then, right? Then that only proved 'she' had every right to hate him…and murder him. And it wouldn't even be called murder anymore. It would be seen as justification.

_And 'she' wouldn't be at fault._

Stop it, she told herself. Stop talking about her. They'll hear you. And when they do, it'll be over. _Because the simplest of thoughts about you_, she said, with a small smile and a painful aching in her chest, _would be an act of betrayal_. _I can't think about you anymore, because…_

_It's no longer right. _

"Nothing ever is," she said silently, again forgetting her Chevalier was there, right beside her, listening to her words without comment. Haji made no move to comfort her; he merely stood there in absolute silence until, finally, Saya sensed him, and trying to collect herself together, turned away so that he would not see her tear-filled eyes. It was ridiculous. She couldn't believe she was this emotional.

"Say," began Saya, and she sensed her voice shook slightly. She tried to sound more composed, "I think I'd like to read something nice right now."

"Shall I lead you there?"

Saya managed a smile, a quite genuine one. "No. I think I can still remember where it is; I'll lead."

-ns-

_I honestly don't know what I'm doing, _thought Kai, as he lifted his gaze from the book from which he was reading. He looked around, and scratched the back of his head. "How'd I get here again?" he wondered aloud. He heard no answer; the library was empty. _Oh well. _He shrugged and returned to reading.

Well, the book was interesting, he had to admit, and though he wasn't fun of reading, he found himself enjoying the novel. _It's the story of a boy named Seth, whose whole family had been massacred. He was fortunate enough to slip away from the killers, and hide in the attic he used to play in. _He was so engrossed with the book that he sat down on the soft, red mat which carpeted the whole flooring of the library, and leaned back on the bookshelf. _The boy was only five years of age then, but he remembered clearly how the dark-faced men mercilessly slew his parents. He was immediately brought to live with his kind aunt, and days after that, the manor where he lived in, his home, had been burned to the ground by the same unidentified men. And then, when he was seven, on the day when his cousin Alice came to visit him, they ran out to play in the lovely green fields. But when they came back, the doors to the manor were hanging loosely on their hinges, and the furniture inside were destroyed, the huge draperies torn and tattered, hanging like rags, and in the midst of all the wreck, the bleeding body of his aunt…_

Kai heard the glass door of the entrance open, and a voice float in the in the cold air.

"I told you I could find it."

"You have an impressive memory," remarked a quiet voice.

He tried to get up, surprised when his right leg felt numb. The shelves had no spaces where he could peek through, as they filled with so many books, and so he stole a glance from the edge of the shelf he was leaning on. It was Saya and Haji, he wasn't mistaken.

"This is nice," he heard Saya say. "It's quite strange, though. Do they get to use this place when they're so preoccupied with their duties?" The footsteps headed to the other end.

"Yes." Kai had to strain his ears to catch every bit of Haji's words. "Only when Joel does not demand too much of their time and attention."

_Wait_, Kai thought. _Why am I hiding? _For some reason, he just didn't want them to know he was there. He had been looking for Saya, but now, he didn't really care to see her. The book was far more interesting, he thought, and ignoring the rest of what Haji was telling Saya, he settled himself comfortably against the bookshelf and opened the book once more.

_Seth was then sent to an uncle, who took him in, unwillingly. His uncle didn't like him at all, and preferred to be alone. Seth didn't like him either, but had no other choice but to live with him. When he was eleven years of age, another uncle wanted to take him, but his first uncle refused. Seth thought it would serve him better to live with the other uncle, and although the first did not like it at all (which was ironic, for Seth thought he was disliked), Seth insisted his way…_

"Kai?" he heard Saya call. Strangely, his name being called was clear to him, even when he had somehow ignored the rest of what the pair of them was saying to each other.

He looked up, and was startled to see his sister already standing before him, peering down at him with a look of curiosity. He was sure he didn't feel her coming. Maybe he was concentrating too much on the novel? Or perhaps…

"Hey," was all he could say.

"You were already here when we came," said Saya.

"Yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I thought I shouldn't butt in your conversation." His gaze flickered to Haji (who was standing a short distance from Saya), and then he looked at his sibling, unintentionally looking directly into her eyes. He thought he saw something. "Hey, you okay?"

Saya seemed suddenly interested in the book he was holding. "What's that?"

He had no choice but to answer. He tried not to sound too dismayed, though. "It's entitled 'Murder'." He froze momentarily when Saya settled herself beside him. She took the book in her hands, and flipped its pages. As she did, Kai could only stare at her, and watch as her eyes gazed down at the parchment-like pages. He noticed something: was it just him, or was there a sad motion in the way she turned the pages, the way her eyes reflected the light?

"You were bored," he suddenly blurted out without thinking. Oh no, not bored. Just sad.

Saya looked at him, rather surprised. "Yeah," she said. "I wasn't able to explore the whole ship." She returned to reading. Now it was her who had the book. Kai wasn't interested in it anymore. On the other hand, he wanted to speak to her, and she to him. At least that was what he felt. "And the agents?" he said, smiling once again.

"Oh, them?" Saya smiled as well, and he was relieved to see she wasn't faking it—not much. "They were smart enough to avoid me."

He tried to tease her a bit. "Should I avoid you, too?"

"Don't," his sibling quickly said, her head snapping to him, and her hand grasping his wrist tightly, as if he really was about to disappear. Her eyes were reflecting both fear and panic, so that Kai was so stunned, he was left speechless.

Saya at once recovered from the shock of her own reaction, and drew her hand away. "Sorry."

"I…didn't mean what I said," said Kai slowly. Saya was back to reading again, as if nothing had happened. He hesitated, fearing he might be treading on some line he was not meant to step into, but went on nonetheless, "Something's troubling you again?"

"No." She wasn't very good at lying this time. He was about to press on the matter, but a voice, sharp and clear, cut through his words.

"Kai." It was a voice he knew too well.

Both he and Saya looked up. Kai wasn't at all too pleased to see his frowning face. "David."

"I've been looking for you," said David in an always-serious tone. "There's something I've come to talk about."

Can't he see that he was still busy talking to Saya? "Right now?" He didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Yes," said David, unperturbed. "It's a crucial matter and you'll have to know as soon as possible."

Kai knew he wasn't going anywhere, unless he'd agree with him. "Can we stay here, then?"

"No," said David. "I'm afraid this is for you and you alone." He looked at Saya, who seemed not so happy as well with his presence. "Forgive me for having to take Kai away right now." She seemed reluctant, but nodded.

"Now," said David. "The sooner, the better."

"Alright, alright," grumbled Kai, reluctantly getting to his feet. Saya watched him go. "You enjoy that," Kai said, giving her a quick smile, before following after David out the glass door.

-ns-

"So, where are you taking me?" David ignored him; he got irritated. "You heard me?" Still, David did not turn to face him. Just when Kai thought of leaving, David stopped, opened a door, and gestured him to enter.

"In here."

Kai looked at him and saw that his face was grimmer that usual. He decided to obey and entered, sitting at once on a vacant chair nearby. David locked the door, and faced him. Kai raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. This scene was too familiar to him: the locked room, the two of them alone, and then finally, the talk. It was more like a private father-to-son conversation, if he were to express his opinion. _Well, not that I see David as a father…_ he thought, finding the idea absurd.

"Kai."

"Yeah?" He watched David take his seat, opposite him.

"How are your dealings with the Chiroptera going?"

Kai was surprised. _What, is he seriously acting like a parent? _"Difficult," was all he could say. "But we have Saya, so—"

"Will she be enough?"

The question startled him. Surely David knew more than that. "Of course. She's a whole lot stronger, isn't she?"

"Yes, and so are Chiroptera. Saya will be there, but it would not mean that she could ease our difficulties." He stood up and walked to the window. "The Director talked to me earlier this afternoon. He was saying how we lacked the abilities to fight Chiroptera, and…" He looked out the window in silence, stopping mid-sentence.

"And?" prompted Kai. Now he was overcome with curiosity, so that he forgot he was angry. Were they to discuss a new tactic?

He thought he heard a sigh escape David's lips. "Kai, have you any idea of how the Military train their units?"

"Yeah, sort of—"

"So you _do _know it'll be difficult."

"I haven't tried it myself," said Kai. Why was David shifting topics? What did it matter how the Military did training? They didn't handle Chiroptera anyway—just been turned into one of them, which wasn't of much difference.

"Let me tell you that it isn't easy."

"Why?" demanded Kai. "I'm not entering the Military anyway. What makes you think—"

"Training," David cut in.

"…What?" He was confused.

"The Director informed me that a selected group of agents are to undergo training," said David, and he seemed reluctant as he said this. He hesitated awhile, before continuing, "He included Akihiro Okamura and you, Kai Miyagusku—"

"That's great!" said Kai enthusiastically.

"No, it is not," said David, turning to face him. Once again, he was wearing a frown of disapproval.

Kai frowned as well. "What isn't? Me being one of the trainees?"

"Yes."

"Well, too bad," he said, almost mockingly. "Joel decided already, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has, but with little knowledge of what you can really manage."

"So what are you trying to imply? That I'm not good enough to be one of them?"

"Red Shield gives training much, much harder than the Military, Kai," said David, eyeing him warily. "Better even than the CIA's."

"I think I'd figure _that _much," said Kai with the slightest bit of sarcasm. He saw David's scowl worsen and wasn't too glad to see it. "Look, I've been chosen, and what, you're going to tell me to just say no to such a big opportunity? Wouldn't that training help me get stronger?"

"It will," said David, "if you could live up to the required skills."

"So you think I'm not good enough, is that it?" said Kai harshly. "Why do you have to decide for me, anyway? Let me remind you that George was my father—"

"And George would surely say no as well," David intervened. "Do you think it was his wish to see his son put himself further into danger?"

"Dad isn't here anymore," Kai pointed out flatly. "And you're not him either."

"He entrusted you into my hands," said David.

"What is it with you anyway?" said Kai irritably. "This is my chance, my one big chance to prove myself. I want to be stronger like Saya, so why won't you let me?" His voice shook with anger. "I don't want to be useless, alright? I want to be able to help, too!"

"You've helped out too much, then," said David curtly. "Many a time you've almost got yourself killed, and for you to allow yourself through the cruelest of trainings, only to be put your life on the line once again in the battlefield—would not George be worried?" As he said this, his voice rose sharply, so that Kai was not able to intervene.

_He's dead, _thought Kai stubbornly, but he did not dare to voice it out, not when David was in a fine rage. He did not reply then, or give any retort, and the minutes passed into awkward silence. David's voice was still ringing in his ears, and each time he mentioned someone was going to worry, it was George. But George is gone, he told himself, while David simply turned to face the window again. David was a man of practicality. Surely he accepted that George was gone, and would not be able to do anything to all with any of the current situations that they were facing. _Unless…_

He stared at David, whose back was turned to him. "You're…worried, aren't you?"

"Riku is just one of the hundreds of children I have failed to protect against Chiroptera," said David quietly.

"I'm not a kid anymore," said Kai.

"You act like one." At this statement, Kai couldn't help but smile.

"I might learn to be a man once I join the training. You never know." David faced him, face still wearing the frown, but Kai could tell it had lessened a bit. "I'll make it through, and I'll get stronger." His grin widened boyishly. "Then I wouldn't have to be under the Death List, right? I've got a lot more than it takes, old man."

-ns-

Saya and Haji were the only ones in the library. Kai had been there, but David had called him. She was still settled comfortably on the red rug, leaning on the bookshelf the way Kai did. And Haji was nearby, not quite standing there like motionless statue, awaiting orders; for once, he was acting in his own accord, taking out books for himself, and looking into them, since his mistress was in no longer in the mood to talk. She had no commands for him either. And, well…she did insist he take out books for himself, too, so that he could read and enjoy them. So perhaps he was simply obeying "orders"? Maybe not, she thought, glancing up at him. His face may be blank while he read, but she sensed, very subtly, his enjoyment and interest in the pieces of literature he had chanced upon.

She was a much faster reader than Kai, and had reached the pages were he had stopped short. It was interesting, just like what her brother had said. Surprising how good his tastes were.

_The day he was about to leave, however, the first uncle threatened the man who had come up to pick Seth up, pointing a pistol at him, and before Seth understood what had happened, his uncle lay bleeding on the floor. When he looked into the eyes of the man, he was shocked: he had recognized those eyes—they were the eyes of one of the murderers. And the uncle told him to run, and before the man could get his hands on him, his uncle tackled him to the ground despite his injury, and once again, Seth managed to escape, this time, with nowhere to go…_

To take her mind of the 'those' thoughts—that was the reason she was here. It was why she was reading the book—because she wanted to forget the thoughts and the memories, and the pain, the constant pain. _"As he ran down the familiar street, crying and sobbing, he understood that he no longer had a home to return to…"_

_Home. _Where was my home? She found herself asking where she was meant to be with. For the first time, after days staying with them, she wondered where she really belonged. _Or am I simply just like Seth, who had nowhere to go? _she thought with a brief spasm of pain. She had wanted to talk to Kai; that was another reason why she was there. She wanted to confide in him the thoughts that have been bothering her. After all, he was the closest person other than Haji. He was rash and impatient, the very opposite of Haji, but he voiced his opinions different, and she wanted to know how he'd see it, perhaps even be fortunate enough to receive his comfort and assurance, if he understood her. _But perhaps he wouldn't truly understand_, a part of her said. _After all, he's human, and…_

_I'm not, _she said, and hated it. Perhaps. It seemed rational, and she thought maybe she was being too open. Kai might take a hint of her deepest thoughts, and then it'll all start falling apart. _Maybe it was good,_ she thought with relief_, that David took Kai away before I could tell him anything._

-ns-

David knocked on the door. Kai stood awkwardly beside him. He did feel strange after their conversation, after he intuitionally realized that David cared for him in his own way. (Still, though, it didn't change the fact that David was annoying). He realized too how bad David was at expressing himself. _He really is getting old_, he thought, staring at David's back, and smiling a bit. Somehow, his respect for this man heightened, too, from the time of their conversation onwards. And it was quite funny, how they wordlessly left the room where they had privately conversed—both apparently in a state of discomfort. His happy memories were promptly cut off when a voice, the Director's voice, told them to enter.

"Come in."

And they did, with David unbolting the door and holding it open so that Kai would take his seat before the Director's desk. Joel was seated patiently, his sober expression breaking into a friendly smile at the sight of him. "I see you've talked already," said Joel, obviously talking to David. His eyes, though, were studying the ginger-haired young man, scrutinizing him from head to foot. Kai shuffled uncomfortably in his seat; how his friendly eyes could gaze at him with austerity enough to make him stay still, he did not know. He considered it to be one of Joel's 'talents'.

David closed the door quickly and chose the other vacant seat, just beside Kai's. "Would you like some tea?" asked Joel, gesturing to a tea set. There were exactly three teacups, all waiting to be filled with the warm, brown drink. Kai was about to decline the offer, but thought better.

"Okay." He watched as Joel poured tea into all three cups. He gave one to Kai, who took it and sipped a bit. David did not have to be called; he immediately stood up and took his share, before returning to his seat.

Joel calmly sipped from his cup, and placed it back on the saucer. He looked at Kai, then inquired, "What has David told you?"

"Well…" Kai glanced at David, who made no body language whatsoever, then looked back at the Director. Of course he couldn't say that David did try to discourage him from joining. "He warned me that it'll be difficult."

Joel gave a low, amused chuckle. Kai didn't expect this; he didn't think that he said anything funny, but he didn't dare to ask about it either. "Ah, yes," Joel said, leaning back into his seat, "it'll be arduous." He paused, then added, "For everyone except you."

"I don't really see how it'll be easy for me," Kai said, looking both confused and surprised.

"What duties have I assigned you just recently?" asked the Director, suddenly diverting from the topic.

Kai looked bewildered, but answered nonetheless, "Hunting the Chiroptera."

"I'm quite sure that you've made progress, after having to deal with them almost every time," said Joel, nodding slightly. He paused again, then fixed Kai with a thoughtful look. "You have, haven't you?"

"Yes," said Kai, a bit too quickly. He thought otherwise, though, not seeing, as Joel had, how he could have possibly improved. _Yeah, sure, I fight them a lot, but I narrowly avoid losing my head every time. _He voiced the next thought without meaning to, "But I think I was just lucky." Ironic, really, how doubtful he now felt about his own abilities and the training.

At this, Joel gave a short, amused laugh. "You're too humble."

Was he? Or was he merely getting more respectful than usual in the Director's presence? Kai didn't say anything.

"Anyway," went on the Director, turning serious once more, "the first few days will consist of the most basic training. I say that it's almost like the Army Physical Fitness Test: push-ups, pull-ups, and running, to warm you up for the next exercises. There'll be marksmanship, of course, and it is only then that you are taught tactics on how to bring down Chiroptera, if possibly, to kill them." After speaking, Joel passed into silence and drank his tea, watching Kai carefully.

Kai certainly didn't know how the training would actually turn out, but he saw that the exercises weren't too hard. He certainly knew how to run; push-ups and pull-ups, he hardly tried, but he knew them, and he could definitely do them. Marksmanship. It was simple, really. Perhaps having to hunt Chiroptera down all the time had its own advantages, even if he almost had himself dismembered each time. Now the tactics…_that_, he didn't know, and he was most curious about it. _How_ coulda human bring down a Chiropteran? It was impossible. _Maybe not_, he thought. _If I join the training…_

So, overall, the training didn't seem too difficult. Joel didn't even look worried, nor did his tone make indication that it was going to be difficult. Kai glanced at David, and thought, maybe he _was _getting old, what with him acting like a father and all… Kai tried not to think about it, since he was feeling that bit of awkwardness from a while ago, and instead asked, "Where will we be training exactly?"

"Certainly not in 'The Farm'," said Joel. "It's the Red Shield's training facility," he explained when he saw the questioning look in Kai's face. "It isn't available for you as of the moment. There are a large number of recruits currently undergoing extensive training, so I can't have you sharing the facilities with the new ones."

Kai didn't know that the Red Shield had what Joel said was 'The Farm'; he was about to dwell on the matter, but could not, since Joel continued explaining: "So therefore, I've decided to have you trained in the two Holm islands." Joel did not bother to explain where exactly these islands were located. He gave a sigh. "Well, it's not what I can call an ideal place for training. But, you see, my father was very fond of Flat Holm and Steep Holm ever since he was a child. Ever since the end of World War II, they were abandoned and uninhabited. My father immediately bought the islands when he became the Director, and built facilities for the Red Shield there. They weren't used at all, and seeing as it would be a complete waste, I decided to improve the area so that it may be good enough to be used." Joel drank from his tea, then smiled again. "It won't be bad, I assure you. The weather is favorable at this time of the year. And I want you to be a bit 'isolated' from the rest of the world, so that you may be able to concentrate."

"I don't think it'll be bad," said Kai truthfully. He did feel rather excited. What did it matter if it were an island? In the midst of his excitement, he remembered something. "How about Okamura? Was he informed?"

"I've sent letters to the other forty-nine," said Joel. "Consider it as some 'privilege' that I've personally informed you. And it was fully-detailed, too." He seemed to amuse himself with this and the corners of his lips quirked. "You will leave immediately, so I suggest that you prepare everything that you'll be needing," he said after a moment.

"Of course." Kai immediately stood up. "Thank you," he said gratefully, and left, feeling grand that he wasn't going to have to spend the rest of the days doing nothing.

-ns-

When the door closed, silence ensued. David said nothing and simply stared at Joel. Joel calmly poured more tea into his empty cup. After doing so, he drank from it, turning more serious by the minute, and by the time he had placed the cup in the saucer, his face was almost expressionless. "Saya seems to be in a stable condition."

David did not reply.

"You still haven't asked anything from her." It was a statement, not a question.

"No," said David, finally speaking. "I feared that she may still be too sensitive. Hardly two weeks has passed, and she exhibits strange behavior. I have no idea what's going through her mind either," he added.

"I see." There was a long moment of silence. "We have no other option. She might, as I've said, know something about Cinq Fleches, and Diva's whereabouts."

David inclined his head. "Of course, Director."

-ns-

Saya stood at the front deck, where she could see the sun setting. She stood still, wondering about some certain things, until she remembered, without intending to, the novel; how Seth had to live his life as an orphan, how he had to grow up without parents, how he had to run away… She was not able to continue reading, because she thought too much about "home"—_where was home? Home was nowhere; it was unreal, nonexistent. _And Saya stared far into the horizon, wondering where 'home' was, looking there because maybe…maybe 'home' would be standing there, and she could live there and be happy. But there was no shape, no form, except for the plain sea, no 'home'…

_Think of other things…think of things which are not about 'home'… _And it came in her mind, loud and clear: knife. Good for stabbing. Haji watched as his mistress turned to face him. She held out a hand. "Haji, your dagger?" At once, the small weapon was given to her. She focused all her attention on the dagger, trying to forget...until it finally worked.

It was a fairly fun afternoon_,_ she thought to herself, examining the ornate designs of the weapon, and the red ruby placed in the middle, so that it sparkled magnificently in the dying light. Now what could make it a bit more fun? she wondered. She needed something like a grand finale…

The Chevalier gazed at her; she did show rather unusual interest in his dagger… Something glinted, coming toward him, but he caught it within an instant. The point of the dagger was close to piercing his face, had he not caught it between his fingers in time.

He was able to see a dangerous smile cross Saya's face before Saya herself vanished. He leaped back, when a figure landed a kick on the place where he had been seconds before, then veered at once to the right when he felt swift movement on the left.

_Sword, _he heard her voice say in his mind, and he immediately complied, taking out her weapon as he continually dodged her playful but dangerous attacks. It was almost impossible to do as he was told, especially since Saya herself was preventing him from doing so. But within a span of minutes, the sword was in his hand, and he closed his cello case and slung it over his shoulder before throwing the weapon into the space before him. The only thing that fell on the floor was the sheath, though; the blade itself was gone—

Something sharp nearly caught him in the shoulder; he evaded it at once, and leaped meters back, before feeling her presence there, too, just behind him. He dodged another attack right before a deadly slash in the air could cut his arm clean off. There was seemingly nothing behind him, but he spun around, and threw a dagger straight into empty space. There was a spark, and the sound of metal and the dagger dropped to the floor, as if it had hit some invisible wall.

It was silent once more.

He looked ahead of him and saw her a short distance away, bathing in golden light, she and her sword, which flashed gloriously. And her lips were stretched into an almost childish smile, and she winked furtively, before she blurred out of sight.

And he knew she was right behind him, raising her sword to the sky…

-ns-

It was quite stupid, really. He remembered then that all his belongings were left in the apartment, when he was halfway down the corridor. He looked behind him, back at the opposite end of the corridor where Joel's office was situated, wondering if Joel thought the same. _Darn, _he thought, biting his lower lip in disappointment. He couldn't drive home. He thought of commuting, but that was insane; it was a desperate idea, so he dismissed it. Well, they're almost going home, aren't they? It would soon be night, and David would have to take them back to the apartment.

A quarter of an hour later, he found himself lying on his back on the roof of a helicopter. It was a great favorite spot of his. He did remember, as he thought of random things, that he loved this place mainly because it annoyed David. And it was rather comfortable, and the metal felt cool against his skin, and he enjoyed being in the highest point of the ship.

As he stared at the orange-and-pink sky, he let his mind wander. He imagined himself in the days of his training: he'd be running ahead of the rest of the trainees, making the most number of pull-ups and push-ups, and getting the highest score. And then afterwards, after the training, he'd be holding a massive gun, pointing it at those brainless Chiroptera, and with a simply pull of the trigger, they'd all be lying on the floor…

He was picturing himself in those glorious moments, but something rang loud and clear in the salty air. Something which immediately cut his thoughts off, because he distinctly recognized it.

Immediately, he jumped off the helicopter, and ran to the edge, where he looked down and saw it. His heart raced with excitement, and he turned back and ran for the stairs, wanting to be down there at once.

-ns-

Her eyes were set only on him, but she knew a small crowd of spectators had showed up, all being agents. _Little imp, eh? _she thought with a disdainful grin. _Well, look at your 'little imp' now. _She would show them that she was just more than what they called her, make them feel how frightful she can actually be. (Out of fun, she intentionally had deflected a dagger to their direction; it missed and she was slightly dismayed that it hadn't struck one particular agent whom she remembered was annoying.) She gripped her blade and headed for Haji, disappearing in a blue blur, and only reappearing when she was at close range. Haji directed three daggers at her; with one swing, two were knocked off their course. The last remaining nearly caught her in the eye, but she struck it, and it was sent flying to the side. Haji took the opportunity to swipe her, but there was an extraordinary moment when she caught his wrist, and flung him away with inhuman strength. This made some agents back away, intimidated; she gave an inward laugh, pleased. Haji landed on one knee and slid back on the floor. The bandages were ripped off his hand, and his monstrous appendage struck fear and awe in the crowd of spectators. Saya found this to be unfair, because all attention had turned to her servant simply because of his 'showy' hand. And as an expression of her displeasure, she tried to attack him again.

By then, she knew there were other people, people she recognized. David, Julia, Lewis, and even Joel. She even thought she saw Kai at one part of the crowd while she exchanged powerful blows with Haji and glanced at the people who were watching them.

-ns-

"I never thought that she would actually practice here," said Joel, obviously awed as Saya and Haji engaged in close combat.

"It has become a part of her daily routine," said David.

"Has it? I'm glad that she strives to improve her skills." His eyes followed Saya as she and Haji distanced by jumping back in opposite directions, but it was almost impossible because she was moving too fast.

Not exactly for fun; David knew Saya fought because she felt like it, but he didn't voice this out to the Director. Instead, he looked at Haji, who had picked up a dagger from the floor, and had thrown it at Saya. Again, it was deflected, and it nearly struck one of the agents.

Joel didn't talk anymore. He was concentrating on the battle, watching and observing the scene with his careful eyes. David thought he had seen enough, especially since Saya practiced almost everyday, back in the apartment. So he let his gaze wander, and he recognized the ginger-haired head, almost hidden in the crowd of tall, muscular agents.

-ns-

He never grew tired of watching his sister no matter how many times she practiced. Sometimes, he was the only one left watching during those few mornings and evenings, when everyone had been fed up, and thought to spend their time and attention on something more important. He'd see (or at least glimpse) the most amazing moves the two made, the most breath-taking scenes, and he'd admire each and every swing of the blade she wielded, and mock every failed move Haji would make. He enjoyed it, too, just being the only spectator, the only one to clap, the only one to congratulate Saya every time she emerged the winner. And he'd even have the privilege of smiling derisively at Haji, which he thought was one of the best parts.

But now, there were so many of them, so many tall men standing in his way, so he couldn't see what was happening at all. And it annoyed him and his fist itched to smack one particular agent who was directly in front of him. He couldn't yell at them, he couldn't do anything, so he contented himself with listening to the clangs, the sounds of battle, and to just imagine Saya with her sword. He was annoyed, but at the same time, he was proud for Saya, because he knew the agents would all be gaping at her, and would be wearing those looks of wonder.

-ns-

Saya was amused; they really looked ridiculous, just staring at her in wonder, as she moved swiftly. She wasn't that 'little imp' anymore. She was the girl who had earned their admiration and respect, Red Shield's ultimate weapon. She even felt she had enamored a few men. But they were all old, ugly humans, and she was out of their league. She was too good for them…they didn't deserve her.

It was getting dark then, and everything was passing into shadow. With one last move, she surged forward, faster than anyone could have imagined, and knocked the useless dagger from Haji's hand. The blade caught the last remaining light and it glowed as it pointed under the Chevalier's pale chin, and she let them know, made them feel, every single one of her spectators, that she was not merely a girl they could trifle with. She was Saya; she was powerful, and they were not. They were human, she was not. And she made them feel, very subtly, that she was no ordinary Chiropteran.

The atmosphere chilled, and she distinctly sensed that every one of them had tensed, unnerved by the almost inhuman expression on her face. Her eyes were glowing eerily then, bright red orbs, reflecting what was left of the sun in a queer way.

A small, amused smile quirked at one corner of her lips.

No. She was a Queen.

* * *

_In all honesty, I think this chapter stinks. D'you know? The first part was, like, made last November, and I managed to continue it last week, and it was really hard to edit and to recall the events that were supposed to follow. _

_And the 'ns' with David in the first part? I wanted to edit that, because it seemed exaggerated. I know it is, but I was too lazy to change it. Let's just say that David was thinking too much and he was just very, very worried. And I made it obvious that there was some father-son relationship between Kai and David. Quite OC, if you ask me, but I don't really care. I had fun writing about them._

_Oh, I don't know if I should be happy or not. I'll just be delusional and imagine that you liked my chapter. I hope it turns real…_

_Bye! _

_And the reviews! Please, oh please give your reviews! I really, really worked hard to make this a better chapter! (Ironic, though, how it turns out to be bad…) Ignore my negative me—she really gets on my nerves, too._

_Bye~! XD_


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